Chapter 29: The Unburned Truth

"Jiang Yue Films Through Fire — Was It Bravery or Breakdown?"

The headline crawled across screens from Seoul to Paris. Some outlets praised her intensity. Others questioned the ethics of allowing a visibly injured actress to continue filming. A few even hinted at a breakdown.

Zeyan read them all.

He didn't flinch.

He was already ten steps ahead.

System Notification:

FL Viral Index: 99.8% – Peak Saturation Event Detected

Trending Tags: #Fireproof, #UncutPerformance, #AyaLives

System Threat Response Suggestion: Preemptive Interview to Steer Narrative

Optional Trigger: Personal Address by FL – High Risk, High Reward

Jiang Yue sat in a press-prep room, her right arm bandaged, a patch of silver burn shield peeking from her collarbone. Her hair was loose. No makeup.

A single camera faced her.

Behind it: silence.

She pressed the lapel mic with a calm hand.

"No, it wasn't bravery."

She took a breath.

"And no, it wasn't a breakdown either. I knew the fire was real. I also knew the camera was rolling. I had a choice. I chose to stay."

"Because in that moment… Aya wasn't afraid. And neither was I."

System Update:

Interview Clip – Trending

Cutdown Version (28 sec): 24.1M views in 6 hours

Comment Sentiment Ratio: 96.2% Positive

FL Image Reinforced: "Sovereign Performer"

System Buff: Controlled Vulnerability – +11.5% Fan Retention During Crisis Events

But while the world praised her, Zeyan's team ran a silent trace.

The guest badge used to access the costume wing wasn't just cloned — it was registered under the name of a SkyInk employee.

And not just any employee.

Qiao Ning — second assistant in the wardrobe department.

She'd been hired three weeks prior.

Recommended by an outside temp agency.

On paper, flawless.

In person, invisible.

Until now.

Zeyan didn't call the police.

He called the press.

And scheduled a behind-the-scenes documentary drop titled:

"The Unburned Take"

It included:

A real-time thermal camera of Jiang Yue's scene

Timestamped footage showing Ning entering unauthorized zones

Feng Shaoyi's raw audio: "Don't cut. Let her write it in flame."

The public lost their minds.

"That wasn't just acting. That was war."

"She got burned and didn't flinch. That's terrifying."

"They tried to erase her and failed. Again."

But the twist came at midnight.

A leaked chat thread appeared online.

Encrypted. Buried in a private NovaLine forum.

Two names:

Qiao Ning

Y.S.

Y.S.: "The burn didn't work. She used it."

Qiao Ning: "We should've gone for the eyes."

Y.S.: "No. Let her rise. The higher she climbs, the better the fall."

Qiao Ning: "You're sick."

Y.S.: "I'm patient."

System traced the ID: Y.S. matched three known aliases.

One of them: Yan Shaoxing — Ruiqing's older brother.

Previously thought to be dead.

Now confirmed: alive.

And back.

System Alert:

Hidden Player Identified: Yan Shaoxing (Deceased Status = Falsified)

Background: Former SkyInk silent investor. Betrayed ML in Past Life.

Outcome: Re-emergence Risk = Catastrophic

Suggested Action: Engage or Observe?

Zeyan closed the file.

"Observe. For now."

But inside, the old wound pulsed.

Yan Shaoxing — the man who once sold him out, then vanished.

And now he was planning Jiang Yue's fall.

Again.