Old Madam Bai looked up from the magazine in disbelief. "Zhi'er? Since when was she acting again?"
Bai Meilin stiffened at the question but forced a smile.
"She… she must be dabbling. I heard the director likes using unknown faces to hype a project."
"She doesn't look unknown here," Old Madam said flatly. "She looks like a star."
And for the first time, Meilin felt the sharp sting of being ignored.
Bai Zhi stood on the edge of the set rooftop in full costume, the wind machines sending her silver coat fluttering. The city backdrop blinked behind her like stars.
Director Yan barked, "Scene 14, take five! Let's go!"
She stepped into character.
Lin Yuyan stood over the skyline, blood drying on her hands, a violin case at her feet.
Her enemy had fallen. Her revenge was complete.
And now, she was empty.
Bai Zhi's eyes shimmered, not with tears, but with quiet desolation.
"I burned the world to the ground," she whispered. "But why does it still feel so cold?"
The room was silent. Even the sound crew forgot to breathe.
"Cut," the director said hoarsely. "That's the one."
Two days before the film's teaser premiere, Bai Zhi received a message.
From: Li Jiannan
Message:I'm coming to set. We need to talk.
He arrived not in a suit, but in casual black slacks and a windbreaker. Still, he radiated the kind of quiet authority that made people step aside without realizing it.
Bai Zhi had just wrapped a wire stunt when she saw him watching from behind the lighting rig.
"You don't strike me as a fan of movies," she said, walking over.
"I'm not," he said. "But I've heard this one's about a woman burning down her enemies one by one. I find that relatable."
She chuckled lightly. "Did you come to see me perform or to issue a warning?"
"Neither," he said. "I came to ask if you're ready."
"For what?"
"For what comes next when you succeed."
His eyes bored into hers. "Do you think Meilin will just sit back while you outshine her again and again?"
"I'm counting on her not to," she replied. "She doesn't know how to lose gracefully."
Li Jiannan's lips lifted ever so slightly. "You're sharper than most people I know. I like that."
She tilted her head. "And yet you're still here."
"Maybe I like watching sharp people succeed."
There was a moment of silence between them.
Not tension, just understanding.
Bai Meilin watched the teaser for Glass Wings in her living room, alone. The trailer had just dropped and already trended across every platform in the country.
The comments were full of praise:
"Bai Zhi's eyes, she doesn't just act, she devours the screen."
"I didn't know she had it in her. This is next-level."
"She's reinventing herself. Meilin who?"
Meilin crushed her phone between her palms.
She has been crafting the image of the "real daughter." She had the pedigree, the family name, the connections.
Why couldn't she compete?
Because Bai Zhi was what Meilin pretended to be.
A fighter. A survivor. A star.
And now, even Chen Yuxuan had been distant. He no longer showed up at family dinners. His excuses had grown weak.
She knew he'd seen Bai Zhi again. He hadn't mentioned it, but she felt it. His guilt.
That night, she made a call.
"Tell the director of Glass Wings I want a cameo."
The assistant hesitated. "But... the project's already..."
"Make it happen."
Director Yan was furious.
"She thinks this is a variety show?" he yelled, throwing down a script.
The assistant winced. "Sir, she's using the Bai name to pressure the studio heads. If we don't give her a cameo, they're threatening to cut distribution funding."
"She'll ruin the tone of the whole film!"
The assistant bit her lip. "Unless we… let her cameo as a villain. A silent one. Maybe even killed off."
Yan paused, Then smirked.
"Fine. If she wants to play, let's give her a role she won't forget."
Bai Zhi received the news of Meilin's appearance on set with interest. She said nothing, just smiled.
The cameo scene was small: Meilin would play a masked agent in a scene opposite Bai Zhi. No lines. Just one brief physical fight.
Meilin showed up in a designer trench coat, ready to take control of the camera.
The moment they called "Action," Bai Zhi transformed.
In-character, she charged Meilin with cold grace, disarmed her, and executed the choreographed takedown with flawless ease.
When the director shouted "Cut," Meilin was still catching her breath, lying on the mat, her pride bruised more than her body.
Bai Zhi walked past her, pausing only to say:
"Your mask suits you. You've always looked better hidden."
The director handed Bai Zhi the final schedule. "That was the last shoot. We're locking the edit next week."
"Then the real performance begins," she said.
He nodded. "You're going to be big after this. They'll come for you harder."
She looked down at the script in her hands.
"I've already died once," she whispered. "Everything after this is a bonus."
He stared at her for a moment. "Whatever your story is... I hope it ends the way you want."
She looked up, her gaze steady, "It will."
The night of the Glass Wings premiere descended on the capital like a velvet curtain embroidered with stars. Luxury cars snaked down the red carpet as cameras flashed, influencers posed, and reporters jostled for prime positions.
But when Bai Zhi stepped out of the car, the entire avenue fell silent for a heartbeat.
She wore a minimalist black gown that hugged her frame like a second skin. A single silver phoenix hairpin glittered against her inky-black hair, a quiet nod to her rebirth.
No ostentation, No theatrics, Just power.
Every lens turned toward her, Every voice whispered her name.
In the green room, the film's production crew and cast gathered around screens showing live coverage of the red carpet. Even Yan Cheng, the notoriously stoic director, watched silently as Bai Zhi was announced on-screen:
"Leading Actress of Glass Wings, rising star Bai Zhi makes her red carpet debut tonight!"
One of the assistant directors muttered, "She's the best casting decision you ever made."
Yan Cheng didn't look away. "No. She was the one casting herself. We just got lucky enough to catch it."