The VIBE Entertainment skyscraper rose into the gray sky like a silent giant, all glass and steel and ambition. The rain had finally stopped, leaving the streets glistening and the air smelling faintly clean.
By the time they arrived, Jinhai had made her rehearse the song at least seven times in the car.
Singing in a moving vehicle, she decided, was a very specific kind of torture.
Every time her turn came to hit a higher note, her throat tightened like it was actively betraying her.
She cracked on one attempt and immediately clamped her mouth shut, mortified.
"I'm sorry. I can't—my voice just—"
"Hey." Jinhai glanced at her from the driver's seat. "Breathe."
She inhaled shakily.
"Again," he said gently. "Slow. Deep. Don't fight the note. Let it carry you."
She tried once more, voice trembling but steady this time.
🎵 If I fall, will you catch me?
If I break, will you stay?
In a world full of maybes,
You're my only okay… 🎵
Her voice wavered at the last line.
Jinhai smiled. "See? You can sing. You just don't trust yourself yet."
Her chest warmed at his words.
"You always say that," she murmured.
"Because it's true." He shrugged. "You don't hear what I hear."
Something about the way he said it—so simple, so certain—made her heart stutter.
The rest of the ride, he distracted her with stories about his early days after Astrix. How he'd almost fainted before his first live performance. How he'd mixed up lyrics and accidentally serenaded a cameraman instead of his co-star.
"I lived in fear for months," he said solemnly. "That the cameraman would demand child support."
She burst out laughing, the tension melting away.
By the time they reached the building, her nerves had settled, her heartbeat steadying under the calming rhythm of his voice.
Jinhai drove through a discreet back entrance before pulling into a private underground parking space. From there, they made their way into the building through a restricted corridor.
Even with his mask on, he was unmistakable.
It was in his posture. The confidence. The quiet authority.
He bowed politely to everyone they passed, even the receptionist, who turned bright red and bowed back so deeply Lily worried she might topple over.
Lily clutched the visitor badge in her hand, suddenly hyperaware of herself.
The lobby was breathtaking—marble floors, crystal lights, sleek modern lines. Everyone looked like they belonged.
She did not.
As they walked toward the elevators, a massive Astrix banner loomed overhead.
She tugged lightly at Jinhai's sleeve. "Why aren't you in that poster?"
He leaned closer, lowering his voice dramatically. "I have a separate poster outside the cafeteria. For the ladies."
He punctuated it with a wink.
She snorted. "You're unbearable."
"Yet here you are," he replied smugly.
Inside the elevator, he pressed the 34th-floor button.
"The washroom's to the right," he said. "Take your time. Meet me in the room to the left of the elevator."
Her fingers curled into his sleeve. "Don't go. I might get lost."
He studied her for a moment, then tilted his head. "Like an abandoned puppy?"
She smacked his shoulder. "Don't call me that."
"Ow," he laughed. "Cruel. Absolutely cruel."
When the elevator doors opened, she slipped away into the hallway before he could tease her again.
The washroom was luxurious—soft yellow lighting, polished marble, elegant mirrors. For a moment, she simply stood there, taking it all in.
She quickly grabbed a fresh pad from the dispenser and stepped into a stall.
Once she was done, she as about to step out when she heard heels clicking sharply across the marble.
Voices followed.
Two women stepped inside. From the shadows beneath the stall, Lily could make out slim heels, tailored trousers, and the faint swish of expensive fabric.
An actress.
She recognized the voice instantly. Lui Ran, One of VIBE's most popular rising stars.
Her assistant trailed behind her, breathless.
"Madam, is it true?" the assistant blurted out, barely containing herself. "The rumors—about Jinhai Su. Did he really propose to you last night?"
Lily's hand froze on the stall door.
Her heartbeat stalled.
What…?
For a second, she thought she must've misheard.
Propose?
That word echoed in her mind, absurd and misplaced, like it belonged to a completely different story.
The actress scoffed lightly. "Propose is a strong word. He asked me to be his girlfriend."
Lily exhaled.
The air left her chest so fast it made her dizzy.
All this was obviously nonsense.
There was no way-
"He booked out an entire aquarium," the actress continued casually, as if discussing dinner plans. "Just the two of us. Candlelight. Soft music. Even hired a violinist. It was… romantic."
Lily's fingers tightened around the metal latch.
Her chest began to ache.
"And then?" the assistant whispered eagerly.
"He got down on one knee," the actress said, her tone smooth, almost fond. "Right in front of the glass tunnel. Sharks swimming over us. Blue lights everywhere. He said he wanted to try being serious for once."
A soft laugh.
"I couldn't say no."
The words settled into Lily's bones.
Her breath caught.
That's not true.
It can't be.
Last night flashed through her mind.
His text.
The way he'd made her laugh after she had cried for hours.
The softness in his voice whenever he talked to her.
Her throat tightened painfully.
"Of course it was never me. I was just getting ahead of myself. He is sweet to everyone. Not just me." Her voice cracked at the end as she whispered to herself.
Aquarium.
One knee.
Serious.
It all sounded so real.
So perfectly him.
Her chest constricted.
No matter how much she wanted to deny it, something cold and sharp twisted inside her heart.
She didn't want to believe it.
But she did.
The assistant gasped. "That's insane… I can't believe it. No wonder everyone's going crazy online."
"I told him to keep it quiet," the actress sighed. "But when you're that famous, secrets never stay secrets."
Their heels turned. Click. Click. Click.
The door opened. Closed.
Silence returned.
Lily stood frozen inside the stall, her hand still gripping the latch.
Her chest felt hollow.
It shouldn't hurt, she told herself fiercely.
It has nothing to do with you.
They weren't anything.
They were just colleagues.
He had never promised her anything.
And yet—
Her heart ached anyway.
She swallowed hard, blinking rapidly, refusing to let tears form.
Don't be stupid, Lily.
Don't read into things that were never yours.
Slowly, she unlocked the stall and stepped out.
Her reflection in the mirror looked pale, eyes a little too bright.
She stared at herself for a long moment.
Then she straightened her shoulders, forced her lips into a neutral line, and walked out.
But no matter how much she denied it—
Something inside her had cracked.