Chapter 27: Scripted Storms
Three days after Jiang Yue chose to delay the Cannes reveal, the city was still buzzing.
But within the SkyInk production suite, a different kind of storm brewed.
"Why did you delay the press drop again?" Lin Qifeng's manager hissed, slamming a rolled call sheet onto the table. "Do you understand what kind of numbers she's sitting on right now? We're bleeding exposure while she plays the tortured genius."
Zeyan didn't look up from his tablet.
"She doesn't need numbers. She's building gravity."
"We don't run on poetry. We run on engagement."
Zeyan finally looked up.
"Then maybe you're at the wrong company."
System Update:
FL Public Curiosity: High (Sustained)
Viral Shelf Life Extension Activated
Current Effect: Every day of silence = +1.7% engagement due to speculation
Risk: If delayed too long, perception may shift from control to aloofness (Begin decay on Day 10)
Meanwhile, Jiang Yue sat in the lighting test room, lit not for a shoot but for calibration. She closed her eyes and recited from a new script.
Not a contract job.
Not a romance.
An art film.
Title: "The Last Curtain"
Director: Feng Shaoyi
Genre: Psychological Period Drama
Setting: A cursed theatre during wartime Japan
It was rumored Feng hadn't filmed in three years. And when he did, he rarely used stars. Only actors.
And yet—
System Alert: Role Offer Incoming – "Aya" (Supporting Lead)
Required Audition: In-person, full-body improv, no script allowed
Director's Note: "Looking for silence that speaks louder than words."
That night, Jiang Yue sat with Zeyan at a rare quiet rooftop dinner, their plates barely touched.
"Why not Cannes?" he asked. Not harsh. Just… curious.
Jiang Yue turned her chopsticks over in her hands.
"Because if I go now, they'll see a viral actress with an acting school badge. But if I stay just a little longer, and take this role…"
She met his eyes.
"They'll see an actress who can't be ignored. Not a trend. A problem."
Zeyan studied her for a moment.
Then lifted his glass.
"To problems."
She clinked his glass.
"To storms."
The Audition – Studio 9, East Sector
Feng Shaoyi sat behind a single glass of water and a mechanical stopwatch.
"Room will fill with rain sounds," he said. "Your daughter has just died. You will say nothing."
Jiang Yue nodded.
They began.
The sound of thunder rolled in.
Then the soft patter of rain.
She stood motionless for twenty seconds.
Then her shoulders dropped.
Her lips parted—not to speak, but to breathe like she forgot how.
A tremor ran down her right arm.
She sat.
The light flickered overhead.
She reached for the empty chair across from her.
Touched the back of it.
And smiled.
It was the most horrifying smile Feng had seen all year.
He didn't stop the timer.
She let a tear fall—not from her eye, but from a laugh she almost gave in to.
And when the buzzer rang at two minutes, she bowed.
No words.
Feng put down his stopwatch.
"You're hired."
System Alert:
Role Secured: Aya – "The Last Curtain"
Difficulty Tier: Ultra-HighArtistic Risk: 9.5/10
Public Reward: Delayed Release
Film Festival Circuit
System Bonus: Skill Branch Unlocked – "Subtextual Weight" (Tier I)
Effect: +9.2% emotional impact when performing non-dialogue roles
By midnight, the news leaked to the right people.
Industry blogs lit up:
"Jiang Yue turns down Cannes spotlight for art-house crucible? Is she stupid or a genius?"
"Feng Shaoyi picks actress from idol drama world. Apocalypse or resurrection?"
Zeyan received over thirty calls.
He answered none.
Instead, he wrote one sentence into his notebook:
"Let her burn everything she's not. What's left will be fire."