Chapter 120 Life After Retirement: Promising to be Love-Obsessed, But Turns Out to Be Career-Driven...

The following day, before the headlines of major media outlets could even properly celebrate the birth of the new Oscar-winning actress, they were thrown into chaos by another bombshell.

The cause was that Risa posted a brief statement late at night on her personal account:

"Effective immediately, I will no longer be active as an actor."

Brief and concise.

Just as netizens were speculating whether this was a punishment for Truth or Dare, the official studio account confirmed the matter.

One stone stirs up a thousand ripples, and public opinion explodes.

Fans were completely bewildered, social media crashed several times, and the comment section instantly turned into a sea of ​​tears.

Why retire at the peak of your career?

"Risa, no! Please don't leave!"

The cries of fans flooded the internet, with memes and heartbroken emojis flying everywhere.

The media went wild with speculation, with each outlet turning into a detective. "Retiring at the peak of his career," "Leaving the entertainment industry for love," and "Returning to family" became the most popular theories.

A weekly magazine, keeping up with the hot topic, released a set of blurry photos. Last night, in a hotel corridor, a newly crowned Best Actress was pinned against the wall and deeply kissed by a tall, slender man. Netizens speculated that the man was none other than Yukimura Seiichi, a wealthy young man currently competing in the professional tennis world.

The scandal swept the trending searches.

Hashtags like #OscarWinnerRetiresForLove# and #YukimuraSeiichiGirlfriend# quickly topped the charts, but netizens have become immune to them, saying:

"I know this plot well! The two will meet at the summit!"

"CP fans are ecstatic! We've finally got a real 'Peak Meeting Couple' business."

"Our Risa has reached the top, someone needs to keep it up (doge emoji)"

No one could have guessed that Risa's real reason for retiring from the entertainment industry was that she had already quietly saved enough "start-up capital for her dreams" through film fees, endorsements, and investments.

On the eve of Risa's graduation, while everyone was still arguing about "leaving the entertainment industry for love," the Atobe Group's high-end cosmetics line unexpectedly launched a BB cream called "True Self."

In the advertisement, Risa, stripped of her celebrity aura, appears without makeup, wearing a simple white shirt, with a clean and determined look in her eyes.

She faced the camera directly, smiled slightly, and uttered the viral advertising slogan:

"No matter how perfect the acting is, it can't compare to being yourself."

The advertisement became an instant hit! Sales skyrocketed, so much so that even the young master of the Atobe Group was alarmed.

Atobe looked at the financial report and made a phone call to Risa.

"Tsk, using the controversy of your retirement from the entertainment industry to interpret 'reality'... The satire in your advertisement is quite brilliant." The old man's tone couldn't hide his playful teasing.

Risa smiled without saying a word on the other end of the phone.

Over the years, Atobe has done a lot for LUMIERA (signing professional tennis players as spokespeople, co-branding, etc.), so she is repaying him for his favor.

The buzz surrounding the actress's retirement from the entertainment industry had barely died down.

A netizen stumbled upon a trailer for a documentary series called "The Son of God," posted by a new account called "R.Studio."

The video, combining animation and reality, tells the legendary story of Yukimura Seiichi's early years as a tennis prodigy. Its unique style and nuanced narrative quickly garnered praise and shares from many netizens.

After seeing the video, a professor from Tokyo University of the Arts commented that it was the work of an outstanding candidate during the independent entrance examination four years ago.

One stone falls, a thousand waves rise.

Following the professor's "certification," more and more people began to pay attention to this mysterious studio.

As the video quickly went viral, sharp-eyed netizens discovered that the production company credited for the previously viral BB cream advertisement from the Atobe Foundation was also "R.Studio".

Speculation is heating up: What kind of amazing studio is this? How can it take on projects of this caliber so soon after its establishment?

Before everyone could even sort things out, "R.Studio" updated again.

This time, it's a mini-documentary called "The Conman's Chronicle," featuring the popular magician Masaharu Niou, who was already quite famous during his university days, has millions of followers, and whose live performances are now extremely difficult to get tickets for.

Fans flocked to Niou's page to leave messages and ask questions, but then they caught a glimpse of a sentence that had been updated in his bio at some point: "Congratulations to 'Miss Movie Queen' @R.Studio on her official debut~ (magic hat) Puri!"

It wasn't until this moment that everyone realized the truth. It turned out that Risa's retirement from the entertainment industry wasn't about "retiring for love" or "returning to be a housewife" at all.

She gracefully turned to the background, using her unique vision, accumulated resources and connections to soar to a wider world of her own.

The topic is trending again.

#The truth behind Risa's retirement#

#RS Pictures owner is Risa#

#Risa's Life Winner Template#

Popular comments from netizens:

[Where did the romance-obsessed protagonist go? This is a career-driven, strong female lead story!]

[Leaving the entertainment industry for love? No, it's becoming the client for love!]

[Retirement Statement: I have read it. Please do not speculate or mention me. I am very busy with my new career.]

Making money with one hand and winning a world championship with the other, this retired life is too exciting (doge)

[I want it all: love and career.jpg]

Fans who were initially upset about her retirement flocked to "R.Studio".

Overnight, the studio's account gained tens of millions of followers.

Two years later, Risa founded RS Pictures, focusing on sports-themed film and television production.

Her directorial debut, "Breakpoint," set against the backdrop of professional tennis, delicately portrays the struggles and glory of athletes. It not only achieved remarkable box office success but also won her the Best New Director Award at the Japan Academy Film Prize.

Her documentary for the U-17 World Cup, produced by the International Tennis Federation, was also highly praised. With her unique narrative perspective and powerful cinematic language, she was hailed as "someone who truly understands sports and film."

-

In the same year, Yukimura Seiichi, at the age of 24, swept through the tennis world, completing a "Grand Slam" in his career and unsurprisingly reaching the top of the world number one ranking.

In an interview, he smiled and said, "It took me seven years to complete the Grand Slam that I love in tennis. Next, I plan to pursue another important Grand Slam in my life."

From then on, he faded from the public eye and disappeared without a trace.

One afternoon after the New Year, the young couple snuggled together on the sofa, enjoying their holiday time.

The winter sun shines obliquely through the window, bathing the room in a warm golden light.

An old family movie was playing on the television, with warm background music playing softly.

Yukimura closed the sketchbook in his hands, his gaze falling on his girlfriend's serene profile. She was typing on her phone, her long eyelashes casting delicate shadows beneath her eyes, a faint smile playing on her lips.

As if making a momentous decision, Yukimura gently stroked a strand of her hair, his voice more tender and earnest than usual:

"Risa, it's time to give Akaya's parents a proper visit."

“Okay,” Risa replied without looking up from her chat with her girlfriends in the group chat. “Tell Akaya in advance, they’ll be very happy to have you as a guest.”

Yuzuki and Mitsuya Akutsu recently went on their honeymoon and are sharing photos in their group chat; Chinatsu also announced some good news: she will soon be marrying Marui Bunta. Meanwhile, Asuka and her boyfriend, Ootori Chotaro, are still working overtime at the company on this holiday.

After graduating from university, Chotaro Ootori followed in his father's footsteps and is now a legal advisor for LUMIERA Co., Ltd. Judging from Asuka's tone, the two seem to be discussing a merger or acquisition deal.

Risa is watching and offering some pointers.

Yukimura cupped his girlfriend's face, making her look directly at him, and casually took her phone away: "Risa, I meant—a formal visit."

With her chin lifted and her phone taken away, Risa had no choice but to temporarily shift her attention to the possessive man in front of her.

"Hmm?" A question mark popped into Risa's head. "What are you going to do by formally visiting them?"

"I earnestly request their permission to let their most beloved niece spend the rest of my life with me."

Risa's pupils trembled slightly. Did he mean... she was going to meet his parents?

Risa's biological parents divorced a long time ago.

About four years ago, my father’s daughter, whom he had with his second wife, was diagnosed with a heart problem and returned to Tokyo for treatment.

After seeing Risa become famous on TV, the woman wanted to get money from her to treat her child's illness, so she came up with a wicked plan.

In her social media videos, she cried and played the victim, spreading rumors that Risa was not supporting her elderly parents.

Risa already had a bad impression of her cheating father, so she naturally couldn't swallow this insult and immediately had her lawyer initiate legal proceedings, demanding compensation for her losses.

The woman probably didn't expect her to be so tough. After hearing the amount of compensation demanded, she immediately backed down, deleted the post and video, issued a public apology, and begged for her forgiveness.

Later, Risa learned about the little girl's situation and finally softened, sponsoring all her medical expenses. After the successful surgery, the father brought the woman and child to her door, knelt down to apologize and thank her.

Risa calmly refused their advances, saying only, "Our past ties end here. From now on, we'll go our separate ways."

A year ago, Kirihara's mother suddenly called Risa and told her that Kanzaki Momoe wanted to meet her and asked if she would be willing to accept the invitation.

Risa was stunned. She thought for a long time but couldn't remember who "Momoe Kanzaki" was. It wasn't until her mother, Kirihara, gently reminded her that she suddenly realized—that was her nominal mother in this world.

Eight years ago, the other party went to Australia and never contacted her again, even after Risa became successful and famous.

When they met, the woman whispered "I'm sorry" to her, and said that seeing her doing well now made her feel relieved. At that time, she was accompanied by a little boy of seven or eight years old, who said he was traveling with her husband who was in Japan on a business trip.

From the woman's words, Risa realized that her current husband was unaware of her existence as a daughter. Even their meetings were merely incidental.

Before parting, Risa gave the little boy a gift. Converted into cash, the total amount was exactly the value of the house the woman had left her years ago, plus the money she had deposited in Risa's account when she left, plus interest calculated at the highest bank fixed deposit rate.

The woman discovered this after returning to Australia and called her.

On the phone, she didn't offer to return the money, nor did she try to mend the broken family relationship. She simply repeated softly once more, "I'm sorry, Risa. I hope you'll be happy."

I'm sorry, I hope you're happy.

Because of that one sentence, Risa found peace and forgave the past. At least, she had brought her into this world and, when she abandoned her, had chosen a good family for her.

Since she started living with the Kirihara family at the age of 17, Kirihara's parents have always treated her exceptionally well, never missing any important occasions and giving her far more love than her own parents. She has long regarded them as her true family, never failing to send greetings during holidays and always giving them thoughtful gifts.

So when Risa heard Yukimura say that he was going to visit Kirihara's parents, not her nominal biological parents, a warm feeling welled up from her heart and spread throughout her body with her blood circulation.

He understood her. He knew perfectly well where her true "home" was, and who her real family was.

“Okay.” She looked up at him, a smile spreading across her eyes. “But you’d better be prepared. Your uncle has already said that his nephew-in-law has to drink with him until he’s had his fill before he’ll be considered a good match.”

She paused, then added with a smile, "And that kid Akaya, he's not easy to deal with. When Akina brought her boyfriend back before, she was almost scared away by his 'soul-searching questions'."

Yukimura chuckled softly upon hearing this, and gently stroked her cheek with his fingertips.

"For Risa, I'll accompany her to the end, whether it's at a dinner party or during an assessment."

He tightened his grip slightly and looked into her eyes: "After we meet your uncle and aunt, I'll take you home to meet my parents. Then, I'll formally invite them all to meet us."

"This is the most important process; not a single step can be omitted."

As Risa listened to her boyfriend's clear and earnest plan, she felt a gentle touch on the softest part of her heart, a bittersweet emotion that seemed about to overflow.

She leaned forward, pressed her forehead against his, and whispered, "Okay."

The sunlight was just right, filtering gently through the white gauze curtains and enveloping the two people nestled together in a halo of light.

Warm and hazy, peaceful and serene.

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Author's Note: Everything that needed explaining has been explained, including the school bullying and the parents' issues. The story should end with meeting the parents and getting married (or maybe a proposal), maybe in two chapters at most. I might write a side story about Niou. It will also include the dark side of the village, the photo album incident, and sweet moments from their long-distance relationship/marriage.

The next update might be on Thursday or Friday. I'm currently changing jobs in real life, and I don't have enough time. (Heartbroken)