Lin Hao's brows furrowed as he processed Jingchi's words. "You think those two events are connected?" he asked cautiously
Xie Jingchi didn't respond right away. He set his drink down, his expression calm yet thoughtful. "In this industry and in high society, coincidences rarely happen by chance. When there are too many, it usually means someone's pulling the strings behind the scenes. If Lin Muyao really is the Lin family's youngest daughter, and she suddenly decided to debut two years after her best friend's death… it's hard not to wonder what truly pushed her to take that step."
"So you're saying that Lu Luoli didn't actually commit suicide, and that someone else made it look that way?" Lin Hao asked, his voice tight with shock
"I don't believe in too many coincidences," Jingchi said quietly. "I believe Lu Luoli didn't commit suicide—there's someone operating in the shadows."
"Why are you suddenly interested in a girl? Don't tell me…" Lin Hao broke the tension, his voice half teasing, half incredulous. "Don't tell me you're planning to get involved with her."
Jingchi's expression remained calm. "...I just find it interesting that the Lin family would let Lin Muyao step into the entertainment industry, fully aware of her motives and intentions. So the real question is… what's their purpose in allowing this?"
Without another word, Xie Jingchi picked up his phone and dialed a private number. Lin Hao watched in silence as Jingchi's tone shifted—cool, composed, and precise.
"Help me check if any therapists have visited or been invited to the Lin residence in the past two years," Jingchi instructed.
There was a brief pause on the other end, then a quiet acknowledgment before the line disconnected
Lin Hao thought for a moment before asking, "Are you suspecting that Muyao fell into depression because of Lu Luoli's death?"
"There's a high chance of that happening." Xie Jingchi leaned back slightly, his tone calm yet weighted. "Think about it—if one day your closest friend suddenly died, what do you think your first emotion would be?"
"Shock… and maybe guilt," Lin Hao said quietly.
Jingchi nodded. "Exactly. For someone who grew up protected and doted on like the Lin family's youngest child, losing her closest friend so suddenly would be too much for her to accept."
"There's a chance she blamed herself," Lin Hao murmured.
"Mhm," Jingchi agreed. "She would break—fall into depression, trauma, maybe even isolate herself. I heard that both the Lin family and the Xia family made some moves right after Lu Luoli passed away, but everything stopped the moment the Lu family suddenly went bankrupt. There's a high possibility they were investigating the truth behind Lu Luoli's death… but were forced to stop when the Lu family told them to back off."
He paused, lowering his voice
"And everything they did… was most likely for their youngest daughter, Lin Muyao. To pull her out of her depression."
"So you only started suspecting all this now?" Lin Hao asked, his voice tightening. "But if what you're saying is true… doesn't that mean the person behind everything has an even stronger background?"
Before Xie Jingchi could say anything, Zhou Min called from the front, "Brother Jing, we've arrived at the audition studio."
Having overheard everything, Zhou Min was stunned into silence. He instinctively understood this wasn't something he could ever repeat—this was a secret that couldn't leak to anyone.
"We'll continue this after the audition," Jingchi said to Lin Hao as he stood. "Let's see what kind of person Lin Muyao is during the audition."
He stepped out of the celebrity trailer and headed toward the building.
Inside the Audition Studio
"Welcome, welcome—Film King Xie Jingchi!" Director Zhang greeted with a broad smile.
"Just call me Jingchi, Director Zhang," he replied calmly. "We've worked together before. No need to be so formal." He held up the script. "I've looked through the role. It's something new for me—I'm looking forward to working with you and the rest of the cast."
"Likewise, likewise." Director Zhang gestured to the seat beside him. "Have a seat. You can help me see who best fits Lin Meixin."
"Alright." Jingchi walked over, settling down with his black hat and mask still on, blending into the dim light of the front row.
After several auditions, Xie Jingchi remained silent. He watched each actress carefully, but no matter how they tried to portray Lin Meixin, something essential was always missing. The character's spirit… wasn't there.
As the auditions dragged on, Jingchi's attention began to drift. He flipped through the script lazily—
Then suddenly, a voice echoed in his head:
'Okay… Lin Muyao, you got this. Remember, you're the young miss of the Lin family. Be Lin Meixin. You can do this—get this role.'
Xie Jingchi stiffened.
His gaze snapped up in confusion.
On stage stood a girl with long black hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a simple white top and blue jeans. Her posture was straight, her expression nervous yet determined.
Behind Jingchi, Lin Hao—who had been sitting quietly the whole time—let out a silent gasp.
He, too, had heard her inner voice.And in that instant, everything Jingchi had guessed inside the trailer slammed into place.
Lin Muyao really was the youngest daughter of the Lin family.
His shock only deepened as he tried to lean forward and whisper something to Jingchi—only to realize that when he opened his mouth, no sound about her inner voice could escape. It was as if the words were trapped in his throat.
He froze.
He physically couldn't speak about what he heard.
Jingchi glanced sideways and immediately noticed Lin Hao's panicked expression and the way his lips moved without sound.
Their eyes met.
In that brief exchange, Jingchi instantly understood.
This was why the Lin family allowed Lin Muyao to enter the entertainment industry.Why they, despite being one of the most powerful families, didn't shield her away from the public.Why they cooperated with background checks and quietly paved the way.
Because what she possessed—this ability—was far too dangerous to hide, yet far too impossible to explain.
Only by letting her step into a world filled with scripts, performances, and illusions could her abnormality be disguised as talent, intuition, or acting skill.
And perhaps…
It was also the only place where her "secret" wouldn't seem like a secret at all
After watching Lin Muyao's performance from beginning to end, Xie Jingchi no longer had any doubt.
Her acting, her aura, her expression control, even the subtle tension in her eyes, she was Lin Meixin.
Not acting but becoming
When the audition ended, Director Zhang was the first to break into excited praise, followed by the other staff members, who kept expressing how perfect she was for the role. Their voices overlapped, filled with surprise and relief that they had finally found their Lin Meixin.
Xie Jingchi sat quietly beside them, listening.
A small, almost imperceptible smile tugged at his lips beneath the mask as he watched her walking off the stage, slightly nervous but trying to appear calm.
'Lin Muyao… I look forward to working with you,' he thought, lowering his gaze back to the script, his interest completely renewed
(Read Chapter 10 to see what happen in the audition; I'm too lazy to rewrite the same part.)
After the audition, back in Xie Jingchi's celebrity trailer:
"Did you hear that?" Lin Hao asked, glancing at Xie Jingchi.
"Are you talking about Lin Muyao's inner voice?" Jingchi replied calmly.
"Mhm. Do you think the Lin family knows about it?" Lin Hao continued.
"I can confirm that they do," Jingchi said. "It's likely one of the reasons they allowed Lin Muyao to enter the entertainment industry."
"If they know… shouldn't they be more protective of her?" Lin Hao asked, frowning.