The email came on a Wednesday morning.
Subject:Feature Request – Interview with "Subway Singer" Jiang MeixuanFrom:editor@YouthEcho.cn
Yu stared at it for a long second before calling out, "Meixuan! You've got your first press request."
She peeked in from the kitchen area, holding a cup of instant coffee. "Press?"
"Online magazine. Youth Echo. Mid-tier, decent traffic. Wants to do a feature article."
Jiang blinked. "An article... with pictures?"
Yu nodded. "Photoshoot, short interview. We control the answers."
She looked nervous. "What if I mess up?"
Yu smiled. "Then we edit. We'll never hand your image over blindly. We write it. Together."
The shoot happened in a quiet courtyard behind the studio. The photographer, a guy in his twenties with dyed gray hair, set up minimal lighting and clicked away as Jiang posed in simple outfits.
Nothing flashy. Clean, casual, confident.
Yu hovered close, watching every angle, vetoing shots that felt too forced or fake. He made sure the captions were pre-approved, and he even rewrote the byline himself:
"Voice of the Streets: The Girl Who Sang Her Way Into Our Feeds"
The article went live two days later.
It spread fast.
Again, the comments poured in. Many were kind.
"She's beautiful inside and out.""Hope she gets a record deal.""Finally, someone who can actually sing."
But not all of them.
"Why is she so plain looking?""Is this really the best China has?""Bet this is all marketing. No talent."
Jiang read them quietly, sitting cross-legged on the office floor.
Yu noticed her shoulders slump.
"Don't let it in," he said softly.
She shook her head. "I knew this would happen. I just… didn't think it would hurt this much."
Yu sat beside her.
"People don't see. They scan. They type. They forget. But you don't forget. So here's the rule."
He tapped her chest lightly. "Only you get to define what stays in here."
She was quiet.
Then she looked at him, eyes sharp behind unshed tears.
"Then let's make something unforgettable," she said.
Yu smiled.
"Exactly."