Rough, unyielding cotton scraped against the raw skin of her ribs.
Every shallow breath felt like inhaling shards of broken glass.
Tightening the makeshift bedsheet bandage had been a desperate, reckless mistake, but she had no other choice after losing her professional binding tape down the vent.
Struggling to keep her posture upright, Ye Xian stared at her reflection in the glowing vanity mirror.
Pale skin, short cropped hair, and wide, dark eyes stared back with sheer terror.
She looked like a boy, but she felt like a fraud waiting to be unmasked at any second.
"Two minutes, Ye Xiao!" a staff member yelled through the dressing room door, the wood rattling with the force of the knock.
Sweat trickled down her neck, making the rough cotton scratch against her raw skin even more intensely.
Breathing felt like a luxury she couldn't afford right now.
"You look like you're about to throw up," Han Jun muttered, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.
His sharp eyes scanned her from head to toe, lingering on her stiff posture.
"Just stage fright," she forced out, her voice pitched down to its artificial, gravelly depth.
Lying was becoming second nature, yet her racing heart threatened to give her away.
"Don't screw this up," Han Jun warned, adjusting his dark tie. "Shengshi doesn't tolerate failures, and Lu Jinye is watching from the wings."
Hearing that name sent a cold shiver straight down her spine.
Lu Jinye.
Cold, ruthless, and absolutely powerful, he was a man who detested deception above all else.
Stumbling slightly, she followed Han Jun out of the dressing room, her chest screaming in protest at every step.
---
Chaos reigned in the narrow hallway leading to the main stage.
Everyone was rushing, their voices blending into a frantic hum that made her ears ring.
"Keep your chin up," Han Jun whispered as they reached the heavy double doors.
"Look them in the eye. You're a Shengshi star now. Act like it."
Nodding silently, Xian squeezed her eyes shut for a brief second.
She had to survive this.
Trauma from her brother's kidnapping had turned her home into a prison, and she refused to go back to that suffocating cage.
This stage, as terrifying as it was, was her only path to freedom.
---
Blinding lights exploded across her vision as the heavy double doors swung open.
Roaring crowds and the rapid-fire clicking of camera shutters filled the massive auditorium.
Hundreds of reporters sat in neat rows, their eyes sharp and hungry for scandal.
Taking her seat at the long panel table, Xian clenched her hands into fists beneath the desk.
Nails dug into her palms, the sharp pain grounding her against the urge to run.
Running was what she did best, but there was nowhere to hide under these spotlights.
Beside her sat three other newly signed male trainees, their smiles bright and flawless.
They looked natural, confident, and perfectly at ease in the spotlight.
Xian forced a tight, masculine grin, nodding toward the flashing cameras.
Every tiny movement pulled at the makeshift binding around her chest.
Unforgiving cotton threatened to tear her skin, suffocating her slowly.
Vibrations rattled through the floorboards as the host's voice boomed through the speakers.
Dozens of hands shot up instantly, desperate to get the first scoop.
Microphones were passed around, and the routine questions began.
"How do you feel about joining Shengshi?" a reporter asked the trainee to her left.
"It's a dream come true," the boy replied smoothly, flashing a dimpled smile.
Xian kept her eyes fixed forward, trying to regulate her breathing.
In, out.
But the tight bedsheets refused to expand, keeping her lungs locked in a vice.
"And what about you, Ye Xiao?" another reporter directed the microphone toward her.
"I am honored to be here," she said, her voice steady and deep, masking the agonizing pain in her ribs.
"I hope to show everyone my best side."
Safe, generic, and thoroughly rehearsed, her answer did the trick.
She thought she had made it through the worst of it.
Suddenly, a man in a dark gray suit stood up near the back, pushing his way to the front.
He didn't look like the other entertainment journalists; his eyes were cold, calculating, and predatory.
"I have a question for the newcomer, Ye Xiao," the man said, his voice dripping with malice.
Instinctively, Xian's muscles tensed, a primal warning bell ringing in her mind.
"According to our sources," the reporter continued, raising a tablet with a smug grin, "there are no official records of a 'Ye Xiao' graduating from any high school in the country."
Silence fell over the room like a heavy, suffocating blanket.
"In fact," the reporter sneered, "your official identification lacks any verified background history prior to three months ago."
Murmurs broke out among the press corps, a low buzz of excitement.
"Are you an unregistered runaway using fake credentials to bypass industry regulations?" the reporter demanded, his voice cutting through the quiet.
Cameras swiveled toward Xian, the lenses focusing on her like loaded weapons.
Panic seized her throat, choking out any hope of a response.
Lungs burning, she tried to draw air, but the tight bedsheets clamped down on her chest.
Her mind flashed back to the dark, locked room of her childhood home.
Heavy oak doors, iron bars on the windows, the feeling of being buried alive.
Suffocation.
Confinement.
Trapped under the weight of a lie that was about to collapse.
"Answer the question, Ye Xiao," the reporter pressed, taking a step forward. "Who are you really?"
Whispers swelled into a deafening roar as reporters began whispering to one another.
"Is it true?"
"Could Shengshi be harboring an illegal worker?"
Sweat poured down her temples, blurring her vision as the stage lights seemed to double in intensity.
She couldn't speak.
Her vocal cords felt glued together, her chest completely locked.
If they demanded her official ID documents, the truth would come out.
Discovery of her true gender would follow immediately.
Soon, they would drag her back to her parents, back to the cage she had sacrificed everything to escape.
"I..." she started, but only a dry gasp escaped her lips.
Just as the first flash of a dozen rising cameras threatened to blind her, a shadow fell over the table.
---
Heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed from the side of the stage.
Every head in the room turned toward the entrance.
Lu Jinye walked out of the darkness, his presence commanding instant, absolute silence.
Dressed in a bespoke black suit, he looked like a predator entering his territory.
His jaw was set in a hard, rigid line, his dark eyes scanning the crowd with freezing intensity.
Walking straight toward the panel table, he didn't look at the press.
He looked only at her.
Xian held her breath, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.
Reaching her chair, Jinye stopped.
Slowly, he placed a heavy, possessive hand on her shoulder.
Warmth radiated through his palm, penetrating the thin fabric of her shirt and the tight bindings beneath.
His grip was firm, almost bruising, anchoring her to the spot.
"Shengshi does not answer to baseless accusations," Jinye's deep voice resonated through the microphone.
Such sheer authority in his tone made the hostile reporter step back.
"Ye Xiao's background and personal history are classified under my personal protection," Jinye declared, his eyes locking onto the reporter.
"Any inquiry into his past is an inquiry into Shengshi's corporate security."
Gasps echoed through the auditorium.
"Are you saying the CEO himself is vouching for him?" someone whispered in the front row.
"If anyone has a problem with his credentials," Jinye continued, his voice dropping to a dangerous, quiet growl, "you can take it up with my legal team."
Nobody dared to speak.
Paling instantly, the hostile reporter lowered his microphone, sinking back into the crowd.
"This press conference is concluded," Jinye announced coldly.
Relief washed over Xian so suddenly she almost slumped forward.
Her knees trembled beneath the table, the sudden release of tension making her lightheaded.
He had saved her.
Lu Jinye, the most powerful man in the industry, had put his own reputation on the line for her.
Yet, a cold dread began to coil deep in her stomach.
She was becoming dependent on him.
This very man could destroy her with a single phone call.
If he ever found out she was a woman, the betrayal would be absolute.
He hated lies above all else, and she was living the biggest lie of all.
"Stand up," Jinye muttered, his hand tightening on her shoulder.
Forcing her legs to move, Xian stood, keeping her head bowed slightly to play the part of the grateful subordinate.
"Thank you, Mr. Lu," she whispered, her voice still shaky.
Cameras flashed rapidly, capturing the two of them standing side by side.
Reporters clamored, shouting questions that were instantly ignored by the security detail rushing the stage.
Jinye leaned down, his face inches from hers as the flashes created a blinding wall of light around them.
His breath brushed against her ear, sending a chill down her spine.
As the cameras flash, Jinye whispers in her ear: "I protected your secret today, Ye Xiao. But if I find out you are hiding anything from me, I will personally ruin you."