The next morning began innocently enough. Yuexi sat in the dining room, sipping warm jasmine tea. Chenxuan had already left for work, his chair at the head of the table empty.
She reached for the newspaper out of habit, but froze when her eyes caught the headline:
"Was That Mrs. Lu at Galaxy Studios Yesterday?"
A blurred photo sat beneath it. The angle was distant, grainy, but her silhouette was unmistakable—her long coat, the way she held her bag.
The cup slipped from her fingers and clattered against the saucer.
Her heart thudded painfully. No one saw me… I was careful…
Apparently not careful enough.
By noon, the story was trending online.
#MrsLuAtGalaxy #YuexiComeback #MrsLuOrMissActress
The comments poured in:
"So she wants to ride on Gu Yichen's fame again?""If I were President Lu, I'd lock her at home. No CEO wants his wife flaunting herself on screen.""She was talented before marriage. Maybe this is her second chance?"
The last one gave her a flicker of hope—until the company's PR team called.
"Mrs. Lu," the manager's voice was brisk, "the President instructed us to release a statement denying your involvement with any entertainment projects. He wants the rumors crushed before they grow."
Her grip on the phone tightened. "What if I don't want to deny it?"
A stunned pause. "...Excuse me?"
"Thank you," she said quickly, hanging up before he could respond.
By evening, Chenxuan came home earlier than usual. He entered the house with the calm demeanor of a man who had already fought a war at the office.
The butler handed him the newspaper. He skimmed the article once, then set it down with deliberate calmness, his jaw tightening.
"Yuexi."
She stood across from him in the living room, her hands clenched at her sides. "Before you say anything, I didn't leak this. I didn't ask for the attention."
"But you gave them reason to look." His voice was quiet, too quiet.
"I went to one screen test." Her voice shook but grew stronger with each word. "One. Because I needed to know if I still had it. And I do."
"Do you think your 'talent' will protect you when tabloids tear you apart? When investors whisper that the Lu family has no control over its own Madam?"
Her chest tightened. "Why is it always about control with you? About what people will say? What about what I want?"
For a brief second, the mask cracked. His hand lifted as if to reach for her, then fell back to his side.
"You think I don't care what you want?" His voice dropped, raw and low. "Yuexi, I'm trying to protect you. The industry isn't a stage—it's a battlefield. And you…" He exhaled harshly. "You'll bleed before you even realize you're wounded."
Her eyes blurred with unshed tears. "Then let me decide if it's worth bleeding for."
The silence that followed was unbearable.
Finally, Chenxuan spoke, his tone icy once more. "Tomorrow, the statement goes out. Denying everything."
Her breath hitched. "And if I refuse?"
His gaze locked on hers, sharp and unyielding. "Then, Yuexi… you won't just be fighting the media. You'll be fighting me."
Later that night, she sat alone in their bedroom, scrolling through the endless stream of comments online. Half of them criticized her, half defended her.
But one message caught her eye—an anonymous post on a private forum:
"Insiders confirm: Lin Yuexi is on the shortlist for Galaxy's new drama. If true, her comeback will shake the industry. Stay tuned."
Her heart raced.
Somewhere deep down, despite the storm gathering around her, a spark of defiance lit inside.
She wasn't ready to let that spark die. Not again.