CHAPTER 13
The sky outside Starlight Entertainment was dimming into a soft blush of evening when Shi Yunxi finally stepped out of the building, the contract folder held securely in her hand. A new badge hung from her neck—Starlight Contracted Actress. The moment she reached the sidewalk, she exhaled gently, as though releasing the last fragments of her old life.
The silver star emblem of Starlight gleamed faintly on the folder, catching the fading sunlight.
Her newly assigned assistant, Lin Meixi, stood at her side—slim, bright-eyed, her ponytail bouncing as she followed closely behind.
"Sister Yunxi, congratulations!" Lin Meixi said excitedly. "Scarlet Moon Pavilion… and the role of Sheng Ruyin… this is huge! Really huge! The directors were basically glowing while talking to you!"
Yunxi smiled softly, her calm expression giving away very little.
"It is just the second female lead," she reminded gently.
"Second female lead?" Lin Meixi gasped. "No, no, no! Sheng Ruyin is the soul of the entire drama! She's elegant, complicated, beautiful but tragic. Many actresses begged to play her!"
Yunxi didn't disagree. She simply walked forward with grace, the hem of her lilac silk dress swaying behind her like soft petals on water.
The moment she stepped outside, her phone vibrated.
[Yichen: Mom, when will you come home? Qing'er is waiting too.]
[Qing'er: Mom, I made a drawing of you in a pretty dress!!!]
A faint warmth filled her chest—soft, tender, grounding.
She typed back quickly:
[I'll come home soon.]
She barely had a chance to put her phone away when rapid footsteps echoed behind her.
"Shi Yunxi!!!"
Lin Meixi's eyes widened. "Sister Yunxi… it's Shi Roulan."
Shi Yunxi turned.
Roulan approached like a storm hiding behind makeup—beautiful as always, but with panic visible beneath the surface. Her cream designer dress hugged her silhouette perfectly, but her eyes were wild, trembling, disbelieving.
"You…" Roulan's breath hitched. "You really… really made it? You—you passed?"
Yunxi raised a brow. "Were you expecting otherwise?"
Roulan's lips twisted.
"I—I was chosen too. So don't get ahead of yourself!"
Lin Meixi blinked slowly. Even she knew Roulan had been pushed down to a small, forgettable supporting role.
Roulan stepped closer, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and rage.
"This is impossible. You disappeared for years! You can't just come back and take the role everyone wanted! The directors are blind if they chose you!"
Yunxi met her glare calmly, her posture straight and regal in the soft evening light.
"What was taken from you?" she asked quietly. "Roulan… nothing ever belonged to you."
Roulan's face turned pale.
Yunxi walked past her, silencing Roulan more effectively than any argument ever could.
But then—
A black Bentley pulled up in front of the building.
A long, cold shadow stepped out.
Mu Lingchen.
Tall.
Unapproachable.
His aura colder than the winter wind.
Executives and staff bowed instantly as he walked forward, his presence dominating the space without effort.
Lin Meixi grabbed Yunxi's sleeve in excitement. "S-Sister Yunxi… that's the legendary CEO Mu Lingchen! Why would someone like him come here personally?!"
Roulan nearly choked on her own breath. "Don't tell me… don't tell me he came because of the audition—!"
Yunxi remained composed, though her steps slowed slightly.
She didn't turn around.
But Mu Lingchen's gaze—sharp, cold, unreadable—slid across the surroundings…
and halted for one brief second.
On her.
The woman in the lilac dress walking away gracefully.
His eyes narrowed very slightly.
That silhouette.
That quiet aura.
That fleeting feeling of familiarity…
A whisper in his memory.
The private doctor.
The child.
The DNA.
He exhaled through his nose, expression unreadable, but the air around him shifted subtly.
Lin Meixi leaned closer and whispered, "Sister Yunxi… I think he noticed you."
Yunxi did not respond.
She simply stepped into the waiting taxi, calm and collected.
But far behind her, Mu Lingchen's gaze lingered on the closing car door… longer than anyone would have expected from a man who never cared about anything unrelated to business.