Chapter 58: The Purpose of Life

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[... Lily's eyes remained fixed on the starry sky, unmoving.
"Lily, are you listening to mother? What is wrong with you?!" Linda shook her daughter, but Lily's gaze was still drawn in by the sea of stars, unable to pull away. She stared at the constellations and asked:
"Mother, what is the purpose of the universe?"
...]
Lily finally withdrew her gaze, squatted down to hold her mother's shoulders, and asked softly: "Then, mother, what is the purpose of life?"
...]
A gentle breeze blew, stirring ripples across the sea of grass, resembling an endless, restless sea of people beneath the starry sky, singing silently to the entire universe.
"I don't know, how could I know?" Linda murmured.]

From the moment she opened the first page of this novel to the moment she read the very last word...
Judy was so lost in reading that she lost all track of time, completely overwhelmed by the epic and magnificent nature of the story.

[...What is the purpose of the universe?]
[...What is the purpose of life?]

These two ultimate questions lingered in her thoughts, refusing to dissipate for a long time.
For the longest time, Judy had felt that she was not truly living. Instead, she was merely a puppet driven by work, contracts, and chemical medications, living under the spotlight while wearing a rigid mask.
She had never once pondered what life was truly about.
Yet, after finishing this novel, *Morning Has Broken*, she felt an unprecedented shock originating from the depths of her soul and on the scale of the cosmos.

What on earth was the purpose of her life... She still could not figure it out...
But it was definitely not to become a money-making tool for MGM, not to maintain a fake smile while forever playing the sweet girl next door, not to be a machine too terrified to eat just to keep her figure... and certainly not to be an anxious, insomnia-racked psychiatric patient who popped pills day and night just to please a studio boss and satisfy the fantasies of a crowd of strangers!

As for her work? Her contracts? Her fame?
They were worth nothing.
Against the magnificent scale of the universe, amidst the irreversible torrent of space and time, even life itself was an infinitely tiny thing, let alone these illusory social concepts created by mankind... they were simply as insignificant as grains of sand.

In the past, she had cared far too desperately about these trivial things. The harder she tried to grasp them, the more exhausted she became.
Yet in reality... what did they amount to in the face of this vast starry sky? They did not even count as a single speck of dust, nor were they as significant as a quantum fluctuation in the universe.

The thoughts surging within Judy's heart rolled like tidal waves, refusing to calm for a long time, chipping away the walls that had bottled up her spirit bit by bit until they were crushed into powder, allowing the sunlight to flood into her world.
To her past self, Mr. Mayer's disappointed, gloomy, and angry face was the most terrifying "destruction" imaginable in her world. But if even the universe itself was destined to perish, what did the moody tantrums of a petty, fat, bald man matter?

The corners of Judy's mouth gradually curved upward, and she smiled faintly. An unprecedented sense of liberation washed over her. She suddenly felt how foolish her past self had been, agonizing over such boring, trivial matters.
She had not only destroyed her own health, but had nearly destroyed her entire life.

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...People are bound to die sooner or later; one should not be shackled by something as tedious as work!

With a single shift in thought, the world opens up boundlessly.
Judy suddenly felt an unprecedented lightness in her spirit.
She took a canvas duffel bag out of the closet and began packing her things. She did not bother with those flashy, expensive clothes; she only wanted to take the belongings she had brought with her when she first left her hometown.

Although her departure would deprive her family of a crucial source of income, she knew that if she stayed any longer, she would surely die here.
Besides, five years ago, when she was thirteen, her father had passed away. At that time, she had just signed her contract with MGM, while her mother showed no concern whatsoever for her work pressure, treating her purely as a cash cow.
And ever since her father died... there was no one left to tell her, "You can rest today," when she was tired.

Judy thought quietly, feeling a tinge of sadness, but without a doubt, she would no longer sacrifice her health and happiness to be her mother's golden goose.
Judy wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and finished packing her luggage. Finally, she shoved that copy of *Astounding Stories* into the bag and stepped out of her bedroom.
As soon as she walked out, she ran into Mel, who was carrying a tray of food.

Seeing Judy holding luggage, Mel looked startled and asked, "Where are you going?"
"Mel, tell Mr. Mayer that I am resigning, and I will never work for MGM again," Judy said.
"..." Mel froze for a moment, raising her voice in utter disbelief, "Are you out of your mind?"

However, before Mel could finish, Judy slipped on her shoes and prepared to leave the apartment.
"Wait, Judy... You're crazy!"
"Do you know how much compensation you'll face for breaching your contract?"
"You'll face astronomical damages that you won't be able to pay off for the rest of your life!"
"Mr. Mayer won't let you off, either; he'll have you blacklisted in this industry!"
"Even... MGM's publicity department won't hesitate to use public opinion to smear you, and your reputation will be ruined!"

Mel panicked so much that she dropped the food tray directly onto the floor, sending a clattering crash echoing through the room.
She tried to grab Judy to stop her from leaving, continuously shouting about the consequences she would bear for doing this.
Yet Judy remained unmoved.

"Judy! Your life will be ruined because of this!" Mel shouted, seeing that she couldn't hold Judy back.
"..." At this, Judy paused for a moment. But it was only a brief pause. She turned her head back with a resolute smile, "My future, I cannot foresee... but I know one thing clearly: if I stay at MGM any longer, I will never find happiness."

Thud. The door opened, and her retreating figure quickly vanished into the hallway.
...
Three days later, morning at the Reese household.

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George, Missy, and Georgie were eating canned fruit for breakfast because the mistress of the house who usually presided over three meals a day—Mary—was currently inside her bedroom meticulously dressing up, selecting a dress to wear to church activities.
Only Georgie had long since forgotten Mary's announcement about going to church; otherwise, he wouldn't have been sitting so steadily at the dining table, secretly wondering what kind of whim had seized his mother while listening to the radio with George.

[Good morning, listeners. This is *Today in Europe*.]
[Early yesterday morning, the German Luftwaffe made multiple attempts to raid southern British ports and convoy fleets, all of which were stubbornly intercepted by the Royal Air Force. Despite the numerical superiority of the German forces, British Spitfires demonstrated astonishing agility, shooting down at least fifteen German bombers yesterday.]
[Meanwhile, the naval blockade has intensified. German U-boats sank two British merchant vessels in the North Atlantic today, and the Royal Navy has announced an expansion of its escort coverage.]
[At this very moment, the European continent is shrouded beneath the iron curtain of war. Nazi Germany's gaze has crossed the English Channel and firmly locked onto the coastline of Britain.]
[...]
[This is *Today in Europe*. May God bless the civilized world. Tune in again tomorrow at the same time for further updates on the war.]

Listening to the war reports on the broadcast, the three of them transitioned from initial internal panic to a certain numbness and familiarity.
However, George and Missy's normalization stemmed from the fact that, for now, Britain had been holding off the German air raids quite well during this period.
As for Georgie, since the trajectory of the war was already clear in his mind, he lacked any sense of impending crisis regarding the unknown, simply waiting for things to unfold.

Just as the broadcast of *Today in Europe* concluded,
Missy turned up the volume on her radio, switching over to the entertainment news.

[Good afternoon, listeners. This is the daily entertainment news brief, bringing you the latest updates from the world of show business.]
[Today, a deeply unsettling piece of news has reached Hollywood. The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, that dream factory hailed as having "more stars than there are in heaven," has today filed a formal breach of contract lawsuit against one of its brightest young stars—Miss Judy Garland.]
[According to exclusive sources obtained by this station from MGM executives, this dispute stems from Miss Garland's unilateral refusal to fulfill the long-term acting contract she signed with the studio. This sudden decision has forced multiple major film projects currently in production to grind to a halt, resulting in massive financial losses amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars.]
[...]
[MGM emphasized in its statement that they still regard Judy as their own flesh and blood. Their decision to resort to legal action was a last resort, with the ultimate goal of hoping she will have a change of heart, return to this big family that truly cares for her and nurtured her, and fulfill her great mission as a great artist shared with MGM.]
[They pray that Judy will quickly shake off her current instability, for the sake of all the fans who love her, and for her own sake as well.]

"Oh my god! Judy Garland has broken her contract with MGM!" Missy cried out in astonishment.

However,
George and Georgie had zero interest in this kind of entertainment news.
Georgie merely arched an eyebrow slightly, feeling a bit surprised. He did know who Judy Garland was, but he hadn't expected her to suddenly sever ties with MGM.
It seemed somewhat inconsistent with the life of Judy Garland in his memories.

...

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