Rain lashed against my face, cold and sharp as needles.
Slick asphalt offered no grip as I sprinted away from the silver Bentley, my heart hammering against the tight fabric binding my chest.
Breathing felt like swallowing glass.
Shelter was my only hope of surviving this storm.
Behind me, the hum of the luxury car faded into the rumble of thunder, but the fear of being dragged back to my family's gilded cage kept my legs moving.
Running was the only option.
Freedom was a fragile thing, and I had just shattered my own chains to get it.
---
Memories that belonged to another girl swam in my head, dizzying and heavy.
Only hours ago, I had woken up in this body, inheriting the tragic legacy of a girl who had drowned herself in despair after failing to win Best Actress.
Depression had swallowed her whole.
But I was not her.
In my past life, I was a domineering e-sports champion, a tactical mastermind who commanded armies on a digital battlefield.
Giving up was never in my playbook.
Surviving this cutthroat entertainment industry was just another campaign to win, and I had already taken the first step by shearing my hair and binding my chest.
---
Neon lights blurred ahead, casting a brilliant blue glow over a massive glass skyscraper.
Shengshi Entertainment.
Guards stood at the heavy glass doors, but a crowd of desperate young men was pushing past them, waving crumpled audition sheets.
Slipping into the chaotic crowd, I ducked my head, letting my damp, newly sheared hair fall over my eyes.
Warmth hit me first, a wave of heated air that smelled of expensive cologne and cheap hairspray.
Hopeful actors paced the lobby, clutching scripts like lifelines.
My eyes darted around, assessing the exits with the tactical precision I had mastered back in my gaming days.
Tactics were everything.
Currently, my map showed a dead end if I stepped back into the rain.
Out of the way, kid! a tall boy sneered, shoving past me with a smirk.
You look like a wet rat, another laughed, adjusting his expensive leather jacket.
Ignoring them, I squeezed into the elevator bank, my eyes fixed on the illuminated floor directory.
My former manager, a slimy man who only saw me as a meal ticket, had been trying to force me into a trashy reality show to exploit my family's scandal.
Even worse, the tyrannical CEO of this very company, Lu Jinye, had recently banned my female persona, Ye Xian, from his brother's social circle.
He thought I was a desperate social climber pestering his sibling.
He had no idea that the girl he banned was currently standing in his lobby, disguised as a boy.
---
Last call for the assassin role! a loud voice boomed from the end of a corridor.
We need grit, not pretty boys! the casting director screamed, throwing his hands in the air.
Adrenaline surged through my veins, hot and electric.
Stepping forward, I snatched a discarded script from a trash can.
My fingers tightened around the damp paper.
This was my play.
I'll read, I said, pitching my voice down to a husky, low baritone.
Years of screaming callouts in smoky gaming dens made the gravelly tone easy to mimic.
Judges stared at me, their eyes scanning my drenched, oversized clothes.
Name? the casting director barked.
Ye Xiao, I replied, using the masculine version of my name.
Get on stage, kid. Show us cold-blooded.
---
Climbing the three wooden steps felt like ascending a scaffold.
Spotlights blinded me, casting a harsh white glare across my vision.
Instead of reading the lines, I let my memory drift to the dark room where my parents had locked me away.
I remembered the suffocating silence, the feeling of being a caged animal.
You think you can trap me? I whispered to the empty air, my voice dripping with quiet venom.
Every muscle in my body went rigid.
Slowly, I raised my right hand, mimicking the shape of a gun, and pointed it directly at the head judge's forehead.
My hand did not shake.
My eyes remained wide, unblinking, dead to any emotion.
Pulling this trigger is the easiest thing I'll do today, I murmured, my tone flat, chillingly calm.
---
Silence gripped the entire room.
Even the hum of the air conditioner seemed to die.
Casting directors sat frozen, their pens suspended in mid-air.
Damn, one of them whispered, his throat bobbing.
That wasn't acting, the main director muttered, rubbing his arms. That was terrifying.
Before I could lower my hand, two burly men in black suits stepped onto the stage.
Ye Xiao? one of them asked, his voice a low rumble.
Yes, I said, keeping my posture rigid.
Boss wants to see you. Now. The guard gruffly motioned toward the exit.
Heavy hands gripped my shoulders, steering me toward the private elevators before I could even object.
Fear, cold and sharp, returned to my chest.
My e-sports instincts warned me of an ambush, but there was no escape route here.
---
Elevator buttons lit up one by one, climbing to the highest peak of the skyscraper.
Plush gold doors slid open to reveal a massive, minimalist penthouse.
Polished concrete floors reflected the city lights below, making the office look like it floated in the clouds.
Behind a massive mahogany desk sat a man who radiated pure, unadulterated danger.
Lu Jinye.
His sharp jawline looked carved from granite, and his dark eyes held a cold, calculating brilliance.
Rumors of his ruthlessness were legendary.
He was a tyrant who crushed anyone who dared to lie to him.
---
Leave us, Jinye said, his voice a rich, dark velvet that sent shivers down my spine.
Guards bowed and retreated, leaving the heavy oak doors to click shut behind them.
Isolation pressed in on me.
Sit, he commanded, not looking up from a leather-bound folder.
Pulling out a sleek metal chair, I sat down, keeping my knees apart to maintain the masculine posture I had practiced.
My heart hammered so hard against my chest binder I was certain he could hear it.
You're a wild card, Ye Xiao, Jinye murmured, flipping a page.
I like assets I can control. You don't look controllable.
Control is an illusion, Mr. Lu, I replied, forcing my voice to remain steady and low.
I get results. That's what you pay for.
A dark brow arched upward as he finally raised his gaze to meet mine.
Intense, predatory curiosity flickered in his eyes.
Bold words for a boy who looks like a stiff breeze could knock him over, he observed.
Looks can be deceiving, I countered.
They certainly can.
---
He slid a thick document across the polished mahogany.
Five years. Exclusive. You belong to Shengshi Entertainment. Every move you make, every breath you take, will be managed by my team.
Reading the terms, my stomach twisted into tight knots.
Five years of absolute control.
It felt like another cage, yet it was the only shield strong enough to hide me from my family.
Do we have a deal, or do you prefer the rain? Jinye asked, a mocking slant to his lips.
Reaching for the heavy fountain pen, my fingers began to tremble.
Desperately, I squeezed my fist to stop the shaking.
If he saw my hands, he might notice how small they were, how soft my skin was.
Pressing the nib to the paper, I signed the name Ye Xiao in bold, jagged strokes.
Done, I breathed, sliding the contract back.
Jinye didn't take the paper immediately.
Instead, he stood up, his towering frame casting a long shadow over me.
Slowly, he walked around the desk, his footsteps silent on the rug.
Panic flared in my chest, hot and wild.
You're very tense, Ye Xiao, he murmured, stopping just inches from my chair.
Just eager to start, sir, I lied, looking up to meet his gaze.
He leaned down, his face closing the distance between us until I could smell his expensive woodsy cologne.
My breath hitched.
His eyes scanned my face, lingering on my lips, then tracing down to my neck.
Jinye leans across the mahogany desk, his fingers brushing against her synthetic collar as he whispers, 'You smell of jasmine, Ye Xiao. Quite unusual for a boy from the slums.'