“Our Mollie is a young woman with a mature vibe-she’s got the looks, the body, the personality, and the attitude! Why’d they cast some pretty face to play her? Mollie makes her living with that sword in her hand, not with her face!”
“This actress must’ve been shoved into the cast by investors. No way Colby personally chose her for Mollie.”
“I heard her husband is a billionaire. He probably pulled some strings to get her in.”
“Anyone got dirt on who her husband is?”
In the original story, Mollie was a force to be reckoned with. Besides the male lead, no one else had a higher combat power than she did. She protected the male lead multiple times, and her influence played a major role in his growth and transformation.
Though the movie was primarily about the male protagonist, Mollie’s role was substantial enough to feel like she was the female lead. In fact, Mollie had just as many fans as the main character in the novel.
But aside from Frank, Sarah was the one facing the harshest criticism.
Meanwhile, Grace’s fans were thrilled to see Sarah finally being dragged through the mud. They posed as random commenters across various platforms to bash Sarah.
“I’m a book fan, and casting Sarah was the worst decision ever. If she’s not in this film through connections, I’ll eat dirt standing on my head.”
“Just a neutral observer here-what the heck was that acting? How is someone that bad even in the industry?”
“…”
At the same time, Grace’s fans released a fan-edited video showcasing her past performances, reimagining her as Mollie. The clip went viral, racking up over a million views in no time.
Fans flooded the comments with praise, and even some book fans admitted the edit was impressive.
“I used to think Grace was just another talentless idol, but now I feel like she’s a way better fit for Mollie than Sarah.”
“+1.”
“Sarah’s not fit for action scenes. Look at how delicate she looks-there’s no way she did her own stunts. It was probably all done by a double. She’s better off guest-starring as a pretty face in random shows.”
“All she has going for her is that face. She’s useless beyond that.”
“…”
Sarah took a deep breath, trying to keep her cool.
They say every time you get mad, it takes a month off your life.
Sarah said that.
Three minutes later, she couldn’t hold it in anymore. She grabbed a throw pillow from the couch and beat it senseless.
Butler Ted glanced at her. “Lady, I thought you didn’t care about the hate online?”
Sarah crossed her arms. “They can insult my character, but they have no right to insult my acting.”
Butler Ted blinked. “…”
After a moment of thought, he offered, “Mr. Holden’s in the country right now. Should I have his assistant call the platforms and get those hate comments removed?”
Sarah shook her head. “No need.”
Ted hesitated. “Uh…”
Sarah shrugged. “I mean, I am a public figure. People can say whatever they want. If I can’t handle it now, how am I supposed to survive when I really blow up? The movie isn’t even out yet. Once it drops, their opinions will change.”
And if they don’t?
Well, that would mean there’s an issue with her acting-or something else entirely.
At the end of the day, people usually know if a movie is good or bad, especially with a commercial film like The Mysterious Family, where the box office speaks for itself.
Butler Ted frowned. “What if the movie comes out and everyone thinks it’s trash?”
Sarah gave a half-smile. “If everyone thinks it’s trash? Then you can get me a bucket, and I’ll hide somewhere and cry in secret.”
Butler Ted, “… Cry?”
Sarah sighed. “What else am I supposed to do? It’s not like I can go hang myself.”
Ted still thought the smartest solution was for Holden to get all the negative comments scrubbed from the internet. No hate, no bad press, and her public image would stay intact.
But Sarah clearly believed that rumors were just temporary.
Praise and admiration blow past like the wind-they’re here one moment and gone the next. So do insults and criticism.
What really matters are her future projects.
Meanwhile, Grace’s fans flooded every platform, hyping up their idol as the perfect fit for Mollie. They argued that if The Mysterious Family ever got a TV adaptation, Grace would be the obvious choice to play Mollie.
At the same time, these fans also combed through the country’s top 100 richest lists, trying to dig up Sarah’s supposed billionaire husband. What did they find?
Old men, wealthy women, married middle-aged businessmen. There were a few young heirs, but most of their relationships were public knowledge-easy to trace. Even the wives of those older businessmen weren’t hard to track down online.
Once Grace’s fans finished their digging, they threw their “proof” all over social media, claiming that Sarah was either some rich guy’s mistress or married to a fake billionaire.
“‘Cause if her husband was a real billionaire, he’d at least crack the top 100.”
Sarah’s fans, “…”
“So first you say Sarah’s using her husband’s money to get acting gigs. Now you’re saying her husband’s not even rich? Make up your mind.”
“Well, I think Sarah did a great job as Mollie, and I can’t wait to see the movie when it comes out.”
“LOL. You all are out here saying Grace’s botched plastic surgery face should play Mollie? Couldn’t even snag the game endorsement, now you’re drooling over another role?”
Even though some of Sarah’s fans felt like she should stick to looking pretty and playing decorative roles in shows, they still defended her fiercely online.
Fans had heard that The Mysterious Family had a lot of fight scenes, and none of it relied on CGI-it was all real stunt work. While they worried about how hard it must have been for Sarah during filming, they were even more concerned that once the movie hit theaters, the criticism she’d face might get even worse.
After all, Sarah’s first public appearance had already been overshadowed by Elisa, who stirred things up and put a target on her. Her fans didn’t want to see their girl suffer more insults and unfair judgment.
When the preview screening for The Mysterious Family finally came around, all of Sarah’s fans bought tickets and went to the theater.
Maybe it was the constant ridicule over the past few days, but Sarah’s fans felt a bit nervous and unsettled. They had mainly gone to see her beauty on the big screen, but as the movie unfolded, they found themselves completely drawn into the grand, breathtaking scenes and the gripping storyline.
The moment Sarah appeared, she stole everyone’s attention.
In the eerie and dangerous Saint Island, a woman as radiant as a blooming peach blossom but as cold as ice made her entrance, radiating an overwhelming presence. With a single, frosty glance, she left the audience wondering if she was about to kill the protagonists.
Most of the viewers weren’t familiar with the original novel and had no clue what was coming next. Even Sarah’s fans, in that brief moment, thought, “Is this some villain working against the protagonist?” It took them a second to realize-Oh, wait, that’s Sarah! This is why we came!
By the time the movie reached its climax, where Mollie sacrificed herself to block a fatal blow and transformed into a spirit merging with the Divine Seal, many in the audience couldn’t help but tear up.
When the protagonist led his team into the secret realm, he had a band of loyal comrades by his side. But when they finally emerged, only two or three remained. Outside, the world was in chaos, and the bloodstained Divine Seal in his hands held the key to restoring peace.
As the Divine Seal slowly floated out of his hands, it transformed into a golden cauldron, radiating power, with the souls of several guardians swirling around it. Among them, a purple soul belonged to Mollie.
The movie ended there, and just as the screen cut to black, the lights in the theater gradually brightened.
Nobody moved from their seats. As the credits rolled, everyone held out hope for a post-credits scene or a teaser for a sequel. But there was none-after all, the original story ended there, and Director Colby had no plans for a follow-up.
As for a post-credits scene-Colby hadn’t prepared one.
The audience left the theater wanting more, eager to watch it all over again. But with only one preview screening a day, tickets for the next day were already sold out.
Sarah’s fans left feeling dazed.
They wanted to praise her acting, but they weren’t sure if they were just being biased. After facing so much ridicule recently, they were scared of hyping her performance too much and getting slapped with criticism again.
But no matter what, one thing they could always praise without hesitation was Sarah’s beauty. That would never backfire.
So the fans stuck to what they knew best-celebrating her gorgeous looks.
“Everyone needs to see The Mysterious Family! It’s totally worth it-the story’s amazing, the fight scenes are epic, and Sarah absolutely killed it with her beauty!”
Since only a limited number of people had seen the preview, some dismissed the praise as desperate fan hype to boost the box office.
Grace’s fans, in particular, were quick to jump in.
“All you can do is hype her looks-because she’s got nothing else going for her!”
“She’s only got a few years of youth left. That face won’t hold up forever-give it a couple more years, and she’s gonna look awful.”
“All they can hype is her looks. This movie’s definitely gonna flop.”
“…”
During the preview screenings, the audience wasn’t just made up of die-hard fans of the actors-some book fans came too, ready to nitpick every detail. But after watching the movie, most of them were surprisingly quiet.