The training room didn't have mirrors.
Mu Shengzhi didn't believe in reflection.
"Actors don't need to watch themselves," he barked. "The audience does. If you can't feel what your face is doing, you don't belong in front of a lens."
Jiang Yue stood still in the center of the floor.
Her palms ached from the fall he'd made her repeat six times.
"You're protecting your body. Wrong instinct. In this role, you don't care if you die. You're not Jiang Yue. You're Lin Qiao—single mother, ex-convict, human shield."
She stood again.
And fell again.
[System Alert: Physical Stress Detected – FL stamina reduced by 14%]
Emotional Sync Training Progress: 46%
Suggested Recovery Pause: 1.5 hrs
Override Available: Push Through (Risk: Burnout)
Jiang Yue selected: [Push Through]
Elsewhere in the studio complex, Zeyan reviewed the new crew list.
The director had chosen them, but Mu's name only carried so far—production hires were made by the hosting firm.
And something didn't add up.
Assistant Director – Xue Min
Makeup Supervisor – Jia Ru
Set Coordinator – Wen Haibo
All three were tied to NovaLine.
Not directly. But by paper trail, back-channel recruitment, and a pattern of subtle sabotage in past projects.
[System Alert: "Infiltration Probability – 83.7%"]
Pattern Match Detected: Su Cheng Project 1 year ago – Makeup sabotage, lighting manipulation, delay tactics.
Risk: Deliberate On-Set Disruption / Image Tainting / Emotional Triggers
Zeyan stood.
"They want her to fall before the first camera rolls."
Meanwhile, Jiang Yue was halfway through emotion calibration training.
She stood barefoot on cold tile.
Eyes open.
No script. No cues.
Mu circled her like a hawk.
"Lin Qiao has killed a man. She's done it to protect her daughter.
What does she feel right now?"
Jiang Yue whispered, "Cold. Empty. Guilty."
"Guilt is for survival. Show me the guilt that comes when survival costs someone else their death."
She didn't answer.
She just shivered. Shoulders hunched, breath shallow. Her hand twitched, involuntarily.
Mu Shengzhi stopped moving.
Then said softly, "That's cinema."
[System Alert: Emotional Calibration Successful – 98% Accuracy]
Skill Unlocked: "Cinematic Emotion Transfer – Class D"
Effect: Real-time emotional projection into visual form
(Bonus +13% screen performance credibility)
Emotional Burnout Risk: 2.4% (stabilizing)
Outside, Zeyan called Mu personally.
"I want full control of the production team. You're too focused on art. Someone's planning a hit job."
Mu didn't even sound surprised. "You finally understand what real fame costs. Good."
That night, Jiang Yue returned to her dorm, voice raw, muscles aching, her system buzzing.
[System Workshop Completed: Criminal Guilt Method Training]
New Module Available:
"Stagecraft Reality Control – Minor Illusion Mastery"
(Use body placement and silence to fake wounds, fear, and emotional instability)
Duration: 2 weeks
Cost: 9.2 PP
She accepted it instantly.
Even as her hand trembled from exhaustion.
Meanwhile, Gu Yuxi scrolled through the secret test footage from a mole inside Mu's team.
Jiang Yue falling.
Jiang Yue crying.
Jiang Yue not getting up for five seconds.
"She's cracking," said her assistant.
Yuxi narrowed her eyes.
"No. She's becoming."
Then she added coldly, "Send the footage to Su Cheng. Tell her this is her competition. Let's see how long her confidence lasts."
Back at SkyInk, Zeyan watched a replay of Jiang Yue's day.
He didn't interfere.
Didn't call.
Didn't text.
But he sat through every second of it.
Because in a past life, no one watched him break—until it was too late.
This time, he would not let her fall alone.