Chapter 1

After the livestream ended, the backstage erupted in cheers.

"We hit 70 million followers!"

"Happy Third Anniversary, 'Eden'!"

The staff rolled in a cake.

A photo of Edith Parker and Caden Spark was placed on top, with the channel's name written beside it.

Caden's eyes crinkled as he smiled. Edith stood beside him, carefully blocking the streamers that were about to land on his jacket.

"Stop messing around. Don't get it on his clothes."

Her tone wasn't harsh, but it sounded natural.

It was so effortless, like she had been protecting him this way forever.

I sat behind the control desk, my headset still on. The screen was frozen on the final frame of the livestream.

Edith was looking at Caden, and he gazed down at her and smiled.

The light fell perfectly across their faces, making it look like they had been falling for each other all along.

Someone walked past me and patted my shoulder. "Holden, that shot of them locking eyes was perfect. The clip is going to blow up when we post it tonight."

I nodded and said, "Okay."

For the past three years, it felt like this was the word I said the most.

"Okay, I'll write the script."

"Okay, I'll edit out the mistakes."

"Okay, I'll make them look more in love."

When it was time to cut the cake, everyone cheered for Edith and Caden to cut it together.

Caden smiled at Edith and asked, "Is that okay?"

Without hesitation, Edith placed her hand over his. They held the knife together.

The room erupted in cheers and applause.

I looked down to organize the cables, and the connector scratched my fingertip.

It stung a little.

But the pain was quickly swallowed by the ache in my chest.

People thought the channel had always been about Edith and Caden.

It was actually something Edith and I built together.

Back then, she still got nervous in front of the camera. She could mess up a simple opening line more than ten times in a row.

I would sit behind the camera and remind her repeatedly.

"Edith, look at the camera and smile."

"Say that line a little softer."

She would always run her fingers through her hair awkwardly. "Holden, am I hopeless?"

I smiled from behind the camera. "Not at all. You're beautiful."

Back then, she would look at the camera, but it felt like she was looking at me.

"When this channel gets popular, you have to appear on camera with me," she said. "I want everyone to know you're my leading man."

I believed her.

That was why, for three years, fans kept asking what the guy behind the camera looked like. But I was never in a hurry to show myself.

I thought that one day, she would take my hand and bring me in front of the camera.

But on the day we reached 30 million followers, Edith looked at me, dressed up carefully for the occasion.

She said, "Holden, let Caden be the one on camera instead. He looks better on screen."

Edith wasn't the only one who thought so.

From the day I met Caden, I had always been in his shadow.

Back in school, my classmates would say, "Caden stands out wherever he goes. Holden is much easier to overlook."

Even my mom once sighed with a smile after meeting Caden.

"Caden, you're so good-looking. If only you were my son."

But Caden immediately put his arm around my shoulder and laughed.

"Mrs. Smith, don't say that," Caden said. "Holden is way better than me. He's such a good son. I'm honestly jealous of you."

He made Mom laugh with that, and I lowered my head with a smile.

Back then, I truly considered Caden my best friend. Because whenever people compared me to him, he was the only one who stood up for me.

Later, I told Edith all about this.

She held me then, her brows tightly furrowed.

"Holden, don't listen to them," she said. "You're not anyone's shadow. To me, you'll always be the best."

I truly believed her back then. I trusted she would always be the person who truly saw me for who I was.

But later, she said Caden looked better on camera.

She knew how much I hated being compared to Caden, yet she pushed me into his shadow.