Chapter 4: The Diverging Paths

Something was wrong.

Lin Yiran felt it before she even saw Xu Lian. It was the kind of deep, unshakable instinct she had developed over the years—a quiet awareness of Xu Lian's presence, of the small, almost imperceptible shifts in her mood. So when she caught a flicker of movement from the corner of her eye and turned to see Xu Lian standing frozen at the entrance to the school courtyard, her stomach dropped.

Then, as quickly as she had appeared, Xu Lian was gone.

She ran.

Yiran's eyes widened.

The way Xu Lian moved—it wasn't the hurried stride of someone late for class. It wasn't the irritated stomp of someone avoiding a conversation. No, it was something else entirely. It was the desperate, reckless flight of someone who had just been wounded.

Yiran's heart pounded.

Her hands fell away from Chen Hao's shoulders as if burned. The warmth of his presence was gone in an instant, replaced by a cold, creeping dread. What had just happened? Why had Xu Lian looked like that? Like she had been betrayed?

It took Yiran only a second to put the pieces together. And when she did, her entire body went rigid.

She had seen.

Xu Lian had seen her and Chen Hao.

"Yiran? What's wrong?" Chen Hao's voice was casual, unaware, but it barely registered in her mind.

Yiran didn't answer. Her gaze was fixed on the direction Xu Lian had disappeared to, her body screaming at her to move, to chase after her. But her legs wouldn't obey.

She had wanted this, hadn't she?

To keep Xu Lian from confessing. To stop her from looking at Chen Hao that way. And yet, as she stood there, her nails digging into her palms, all she felt was the sharp sting of regret.

By the time her feet finally obeyed her, Xu Lian was already gone.

Xu Lian didn't know how long she had been running.

Her lungs burned, and her legs ached, but she didn't stop. Couldn't stop. The pressure in her chest was unbearable, suffocating her with each breath she took. Her mind replayed the image over and over again—Yiran in Chen Hao's arms, the easy familiarity between them, the quiet way they fit together like pieces of a puzzle she had never been a part of.

Had she been a fool all along?

A sob clawed its way up her throat, but she forced it down, biting hard on the inside of her cheek. She wouldn't cry. Not here. Not where people could see.

Her vision blurred as she wandered aimlessly through the city streets, barely aware of her surroundings. At some point, her legs gave out, and she sank onto a bench near a bustling street corner, gasping for breath. The noise of the city buzzed around her—cars honking, people laughing, street vendors calling out their wares. It was all too much, too loud, too bright against the emptiness inside her.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block it all out.

What was she supposed to do now?

Her mother was in the hospital. She had no way to pay the bills. And now—now she had lost Yiran, too. The one person who had always been by her side, the one person she had trusted the most.

She had nothing. No one.

She dug her nails into her arms, gripping them tightly as she curled into herself. She needed to stop thinking. She needed a distraction. Anything to make this pain go away.

That was when she heard it.

"Open auditions today! No experience necessary! Are you the next rising star?"

Xu Lian's head snapped up. Across the street, a large banner hung above a sleek, modern building, the words catching in the morning sunlight. A group of excited young people stood near the entrance, chattering amongst themselves as they filled out forms.

An audition.

For a movie.

Something inside her stirred. She wasn't sure what it was—desperation, impulse, or simply the need to escape. But before she knew what she was doing, she was on her feet, pushing her way through the crowd toward the doors.

Maybe this was fate.

Maybe this was her way out.

The building was grand, its modern glass panels reflecting the mid-morning sun. Xu Lian hesitated for just a moment at the entrance, watching as a stream of eager young hopefuls filed in through the doors, clutching registration forms. A few of them were dressed immaculately, exuding confidence, while others looked just as lost as she felt.

She swallowed hard, feeling small in comparison.

What was she even doing here?

This wasn't part of any plan. She had never even considered acting. But as she thought back to the hospital call, to her mother's fragile voice over the phone, to the image of Yiran and Chen Hao together—her heart clenched.

She needed something. Something to latch onto.

Steeling herself, she took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Zhao Qing adjusted the file in her hands and scanned the list of names again.

It was just another audition—one of many she had attended in the past several years as a talent scout and manager. She had seen all kinds of hopefuls: those who were genuinely talented, those who relied on connections, and those who had nothing but blind optimism. Most wouldn't make it past the first round.

She sighed, already anticipating a long, uneventful day.

Her sharp eyes flickered to the newest batch of hopefuls stepping into the waiting area. Some were talking animatedly, others nervously checking their scripts. Then, her gaze settled on a girl who looked completely out of place.

She was young—too young compared to most of the candidates. She wore a simple school uniform, slightly wrinkled as if she had been running in it. Her long, silky black hair framed a face that was stunning despite her lack of effort to enhance it. Yet, it wasn't her beauty that caught Zhao Qing's attention.

It was her eyes.

They were dark and deep, clouded with something almost tragic, like a storm brewing just beneath the surface.

Zhao Qing had been in this industry long enough to recognize that look.

That girl wasn't here for a dream.

She was here to escape something.

"Name?" she asked, flipping through her files as the girl approached the registration desk.

"Xu Lian," came the quiet response.

The name didn't ring any bells. That meant no connections, no prior experience. Just another hopeful stepping into an industry that would chew her up if she wasn't strong enough.

"Have you acted before?"

Xu Lian hesitated, then shook her head. "No."

Zhao Qing's brow arched slightly. Most people would at least lie to make themselves seem more prepared, but this girl was honest to a fault. Interesting.

She handed Xu Lian a form and pointed toward the waiting area. "Fill this out and wait for your turn. They'll call you when they're ready."

Xu Lian took the paper and walked off. Zhao Qing watched her go, unable to shake the feeling that she had just witnessed the beginning of something significant.

Xu Lian sat stiffly in the waiting area, gripping the audition script. She had barely skimmed through it before her name was called.

Heart pounding, she stood up and walked into the audition room.

The room was larger than she expected. A panel of judges sat behind a long table, their faces impassive. Cameras were set up at various angles, capturing every movement.

She took a deep breath and stepped into the spotlight.

"Xu Lian, correct?"

"Yes."

"Whenever you're ready."

Xu Lian exhaled slowly and looked at the script. The lines blurred in front of her eyes. She had barely prepared—she wasn't even sure what she was doing here. But then, she thought about her mother in the hospital, the mounting bills, the ache in her chest from earlier that morning.

She closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, she wasn't Xu Lian anymore.

She was the character.

The moment she spoke, Zhao Qing straightened in her seat. There was something raw in her voice—not polished, not trained, but instinctive. Every shift in expression, every flicker of emotion in Xu Lian's eyes felt real. She wasn't acting; she was becoming the scene.

The judges whispered amongst themselves, exchanging glances. Zhao Qing smirked slightly.

This girl was a natural.

And if she had anything to do with it, this audition wouldn't be the last time the world saw Xu Lian.

Zhao Qing leaned against the wall outside the audition room, arms crossed, her sharp eyes following the young girl who had just walked out. Xu Lian.

She had seen plenty of aspiring actors before—some who had trained for years, others who had clawed their way into the industry through sheer determination. But Xu Lian? She was something different entirely.

That performance wasn't practiced, wasn't polished. It was raw. Untamed. The kind of natural talent that couldn't be taught. And more importantly, it was the kind of talent that, if refined properly, could shake the entire industry.

Zhao Qing exhaled slowly, a small smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

She had seen enough.

Pushing off the wall, she made her way toward Xu Lian, who now stood in the hallway, staring down at her hands. The tension in her shoulders, the subtle tremble in her fingers—Zhao Qing recognized them well.

She was waiting for rejection.

Good. That meant she wasn't arrogant. It meant she understood how brutal this world could be.

But she wouldn't be hearing rejection today.

"Xu Lian."

The girl's head snapped up, her dark eyes widening as she met Zhao Qing's gaze. For a brief second, something unreadable flashed across her face, a guardedness that made Zhao Qing even more certain of her decision.

"That was good."

Xu Lian blinked, as if unsure she had heard correctly. "What?"

Zhao Qing allowed herself a small smile. "Your audition. It was very good."

A flicker of emotion passed over the girl's face—relief, disbelief, something else deeper that Zhao Qing couldn't quite place.

Before Xu Lian could respond, Zhao Qing continued, her tone turning businesslike. "You have potential. A lot of it. But potential means nothing if you don't have the right guidance." She pulled out a sleek business card and held it out. "I want to be your manager."

Xu Lian stared at the card as if it were a foreign object. Slowly, hesitantly, she reached out and took it, running her fingers over the embossed letters. Zhao Qing didn't miss the way her hands tightened around the edges, knuckles slightly pale.

When Xu Lian finally spoke, her voice was quiet. "If I say yes… will I be able to make money?"

Zhao Qing tilted her head slightly, studying her. That was an unusual first question. Most aspiring actors would ask about fame, about their chances, about how quickly they could land a role.

But Xu Lian?

Her mind was already on survival.

Zhao Qing's expression softened, just a fraction. "Yes," she said simply. "You won't become a star overnight. But if you work hard, if you trust me to guide you, I can make sure you won't have to worry about money."

Xu Lian looked down again, her fingers tracing the card's edges absentmindedly. There was a long silence, and Zhao Qing didn't rush her. Decisions like this weren't easy.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Xu Lian took a deep breath and looked up.

"Okay," she said. "I'll do it."

A satisfied smile curled at Zhao Qing's lips.

Good choice.

She had just found her diamond in the rough. And she had every intention of making sure the entire world saw it shine.