Sharp eyes. Colder than winter.
"Sit," he said simply.
She sat.
He studied her for a long moment before speaking. "You're the Bai family's adopted daughter."
"Was," she corrected. "Now I'm simply Bai Zhi."
That caught his attention.
He leaned back slightly, fingers steepled. "Why apply for the Jianning Talent Initiative? You don't lack resources, do you?"
"I do," she said, eyes unwavering. "I don't have connections or a famous name. I'm not looking for a handout, Mr. Li. I want opportunity, and I'm prepared to earn it."
He raised a brow. "Confident."
"I've wasted enough time hiding behind someone else."
Li Jiannan was silent for a beat.
Then, he opened her portfolio. Flipping
through the pages, his eyes occasionally paused, his fingers slowing as he examined her lyrics, film synopses, and production notes.
"'Ocean's Silence', you wrote this?" he asked, referencing a ballad she had submitted.
"Yes. It's about… regret. And letting go."
His gaze lingered on her face.
"And what do you regret?"
"Trusting the wrong people," she said simply. "But I don't regret learning from it."
A pause.
Then he stood, walking to the window. "I don't normally take a personal interest in these interviews. I prefer results over
potential. But I saw your audition. And now I see your drive."
He turned.
"You're in."
Bai Zhi blinked. "Excuse me?"
"You'll be mentored by Jianning's media subsidiary. Full access to studios, resources, and a three month probation. After that, you pitch your first project for funding."
Her hands tightened on her lap.
This was better than she'd hoped.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
But Li Jiannan's gaze didn't soften. "Don't thank me. Prove you're not just another pretty face playing artist."
"I will."
Their eyes locked
For the first time, there was no fear. Only fire.
Outside the building, Bai Zhi exhaled,
sunlight washing over her. Her phone rang, it was Lin Qiaoqiao.
"Zhi! I heard a few of us got nominated for Jianning's program but they didn't say who. Did you"
"I got in," Bai Zhi replied.
A gasp. "That's huge! Do you know who else?"
"I didn't see anyone else. But Qiaoqiao…" Bai Zhi smiled. "We're just getting started."
That evening, back at the Bai residence, Bai Meilin was in a storm of jealousy. She had spent the whole day trying to charm a minor casting director for a web drama role when she got the news.
Jianning Talent Program.
Bai Zhi.
Selected.
She nearly crushed her phone.
"What does she have that I don't?" she hissed to herself. "Why does she keep
stealing the spotlight?"
The Spotlight was meant to be hers. Why does she keep changing the scripts?
She called Chen Yuxuan.
"What is it now?" he asked, annoyed.
"Are you blind?" she snapped. "Bai Zhi is getting more and more attention. She's trying to destroy me!"
Chen Yuxuan frowned. He had seen the reports too, though he refused to admit that Bai Zhi's confidence lately was strangely… attractive.
"Maybe she's just putting on a show," he said flatly.
"I won't let her keep winning," Meilin whispered.
But in the quiet of her room, Bai Zhi sat at her desk, eyes gleaming with purpose.
Jianning. Her first step.
In her past life, she had lived in the shadows, watching others rise with her work, her voice, her dreams.
Not this time.
This time, she would become someone no one could look down on.
And maybe… just maybe… she'd make Li Jiannan look at her not as an interesting case.
But as someone unforgettable.
The Bai household was unusually quiet the next morning. Not because of peace, but because the usually bright and smiling Bai Meilin had been stewing in her room since the evening prior.
After the Jianning Group announcement, she had thrown her teacup hard enough to crack the porcelain on her vanity. Her maid dared not speak unless spoken to.
Downstairs, Bai Zhi walked through the grand corridor like she owned it.
She didn't bother masking her confidence anymore.
The housekeeper gave her a strange look this Bai Zhi wasn't the one they were used to. No more soft footsteps and apologetic smiles. She moved like someone who didn't need the Bai name to survive.
And that made them all… uneasy.
If only they knew the truth. She really did need the Bai family to survive because wanting to survive on the Bai family means death for her.
In the dining hall, Madam Bai looked up from her bird's nest soup, startled when Bai Zhi calmly poured herself tea before sitting down.
"You seem to be in good spirits lately," Madam Bai said slowly, unsure if it was a compliment or a warning.
"I simply value the opportunities I've earned," Bai Zhi replied, taking a graceful sip.
Across from her, Bai Meilin finally arrived, her expression composed but her jaw tight. She wore a pale pink designer dress with delicate lace, her makeup perfectly done.
Yet next to Bai Zhi's effortless calm, her polish seemed.. try-hard.
"Jiejie," Meilin said sweetly, her tone syrupy. "I heard you were selected for the Jianning Talent Program. That's amazing! You've always been good with… performances."
Bai Zhi glanced up. "Thank you. I suppose I finally get to play the lead role instead of being someone's double."
The chopsticks in Meilin's hand froze mid-air.
A beat of silence passed before Madam Bai chuckled awkwardly. "Zhi'er, you always had such a witty mouth."
"Yes," Meilin added, masking her glare with a smile. "You were always helpful. I'm glad it's your turn now."
"I don't recall ever needing help to begin with," Bai Zhi replied lightly, standing. "But I appreciate the well wishes."
She walked away without looking back.
Later that day, Bai Meilin was in her room, pacing furiously.
Chen Yuxuan still hadn't called her back.
Since their first encounter at the Bai family's welcome banquet, she had latched onto him quickly. He was handsome, heir to a respected family, and most importantly, he was once engaged to Bai Zhi.
That alone made him useful.
They weren't dating, not officially. In fact, they barely knew each other before that night. But Meilin had a talent for weaving intimacy where there was none.
Her "accidental" encounters with Chen Yuxuan after the banquet were anything but accidental.
A casual drop-by at his favorite café.
A mutual friend's party she'd "just happened to" attend.
A staged coincidence at the university art exhibit.
It hadn't taken long for her to insert herself into his circle. He didn't show much warmth, but he tolerated her company and to Meilin, that was enough to begin her game.
They weren't lovers. Not yet.
But they were aligned, for now.
Meilin was smart enough to know that Chen Yuxuan had no deep loyalty to Bai Zhi. His ego was too large. And if Bai Zhi was finally rising in the public eye, he'd want to remind her that he once discarded her.
That made him the perfect weapon.
And Meilin loved weapons.
At that very moment, Chen Yuxuan sat with a group of young elites at a rooftop lounge. He scrolled through his phone lazily, pausing when he saw a trending post:
"Rising star Bai Zhi wows Jianning Group with original ballad and monologue selected for Talent Program."
His brows lifted. "Interesting."
"Who's Bai Zhi?" one of his friends asked.
"My ex-fiancée," he said with a smug tone.
Another guy snorted. "Wasn't she that boring adopted daughter from the Bai family?"
"Maybe she stopped being boring," Chen Yuxuan replied, the corner of his mouth lifting.
" Yes, maybe, she ended your engagement herself" the guy laughed
Truthfully, Bai Zhi's recent changes hadn't gone unnoticed. She wasn't meek anymore and for someone like Chen Yuxuan, who thrived on control, that was infuriating and oddly… compelling.
Before he could text her, another message popped up, this one from Bai Meilin.
Meilin: "Can we talk? I feel so lost. Bai Zhi keeps pushing me away…"
He sighed and dropped the phone.
He had better things to do than be a shoulder to cry on.
Back at the academy, Bai Zhi sat with Lin Qiaoqiao, going over practice scripts. Her schedule had become busier since joining the Jianning Talent Program, and she had access to better mentors and private coaching sessions.
"I've never seen you mess up a single line," Qiaoqiao said in awe. "You're like a machine."
"I had ten years of practice," Bai Zhi said, before catching herself.
She smiled quickly. "Habit, I mean. I like to prepare."
Just then, a class rep entered the room.
"Bai Zhi," he said, "there's someone looking for you in the main hall."
Bai Zhi stood slowly. "Who is it?"
"Didn't say."
When she arrived at the hall, her eyes narrowed.
Chen Yuxuan stood casually by the entrance, hands in his pockets like he owned the place.
She didn't move closer. "What do you want?"
His eyes flicked over her, surprise flickering in them. "You've changed."
"I've grown," she replied. "That's what people do."
He stepped forward slightly. "You were quiet. Predictable. Now you're not."
"And you used to be someone I cared about," she said. "Now you're not."
The coldness in her tone threw him.
"I just wanted to see you," he said, his smile thinning. "You've been making noise lately."
"I've been working. Not everything is about you."
He stared at her. "Meilin's worried, you know. She thinks you're trying to push her out."
Bai Zhi's voice dropped. "She's the one who barged in. I was here first."
He flinched at her tone.
"You think just because Jianning picked you, you've won?"
"No," she said calmly. "I'll have won when people forget I was ever associated with you."
She turned and walked away, the echo of her heels sharp and certain.
Later that night, Bai Meilin received a short message from Chen Yuxuan.
"She's not the same. Be careful."
Meilin stared at the words, then at her reflection.
She knew.
That's what made it all the more dangerous.