1 year and 5 months since Yining left home
A Duet with Pressure
"Your partner will be Gu Feizhou," the instructor announced as the upcoming mentor challenge was posted.
Yining looked up, surprised.
Feizhou glanced at her coolly, offering a nod. But there was a flicker of something in his eyes — was it relief?
They were tasked with performing a high-tempo duet, equal parts dance and harmony.
It was physically punishing.
Two minutes into rehearsal, Yining nearly fell trying to spin into sync with Feizhou's lift.
"You're not trusting me," he said quietly, holding her steady.
"I trust myself," she whispered.
"That's not the same thing."
The room felt different when he said it — not just a practice room, but a place where something unspoken lived between beats.
---
Bai Zhiqi had seen enough.
From her spot behind the tinted glass rehearsal booth, she watched Feizhou's hands linger a little too long. His eyes follow Yining a little too naturally.
And worse — Liam Hayes had asked twice for Yining's schedule.
> "Enough is enough," she hissed.
She called someone that night. A shady producer she knew from a past sponsor event — someone who'd ruined girls with nothing more than a staged scandal and a camera.
"Do it clean," she warned. "Don't leave a trace. I want her off the show."
Money was transferred by morning.
---
Yining found herself invited to Liam Hayes's dressing room after rehearsal. His assistant handed her a pass — and surprisingly, Ace Luo didn't object.
Inside, Liam was strumming on an acoustic guitar.
"You're tense," he said, offering her tea.
"I'm being targeted. Again."
Liam smiled gently. "Welcome to fame."
He didn't push further. Instead, he stood and began harmonizing a melody — light, melancholic, powerful.
"Sing with me."
She followed, and their voices melted into a haunting blend. It was raw. Real.
When it ended, Liam stepped back, eyes lingering on her face.
"You don't know it yet, but your voice could own a world stage."
Yining looked at him. "Why are you helping me?"
He paused. Then, simply said, "Because I've seen what this industry does to girls like you… and I couldn't protect the last one."
---
A few nights later, Feizhou caught a whisper in the men's corridor — a sound tech talking too loud on the phone.
"…yeah, the room's wired. Just need her inside. Bai said to make it look real but not too obvious—"
Feizhou's eyes darkened.
He didn't need to hear more.
He stormed down the hall and found Yining alone in the third dance room — the same one rumored to be 'off schedule' today.
He pulled her out without warning, dragging her down the stairwell.
She pushed him. "What the hell?!"
"Someone tried to trap you. Camera. Empty room. You do the math."
Yining froze.
"Bai?"
"Who else? You're not just competition anymore. You're a threat."
---
That night, in a dim-lit penthouse meeting room, Shen Yuyan reviewed a new internal report.
His special assistant — a quiet woman dressed in grey — leaned forward. "Young Miss Lin has been targeted again."
He didn't blink.
"She didn't fall into the trap. Gu Feizhou interfered."
Yuyan sat back.
"…interesting."
"She doesn't know her engagement has been re-activated by your grandfather."
"She doesn't need to."
"Shall I protect her more directly?"
"No. Let them try once more. I want to see who has the guts to touch what belongs to the Ren family."
His fingers tapped the desk lightly.
"And… send her a gift."
"What kind?"
"Something only she will recognize. Let her remember who's truly watching."
---
Later that night, Yining returned to her dorm room to find a small package on her desk.
Inside: a porcelain music box in the shape of a snow fox. One she hadn't seen since she was ten.
It still played the same lullaby her mother used to hum.
Her hands shook.
There was no note. But she knew.
> Her family was watching.
Her fiancé… knew where she was.
Her time was running out.
---
The next morning, she found Gu Feizhou waiting near the vending machine. Two coffees in hand.
He handed her one without a word.
"Thanks," she said, quiet.
He didn't speak for a long time.
Finally, he muttered, "If you fall… I'll drag you back."
She blinked. "Why?"
"…I don't like losing things I care about."
He didn't wait for a response. Just walked away, ears a little red.
And for the first time, Yining stood alone — but didn't feel alone.
---
It started with a whisper.
"Did you hear? Lin Yining isn't her real name."
A second trainee passed the gossip in the stairwell, her voice just low enough to sound scandalous.
"I heard she's from a chaebol family… the kind with bodyguards."
"No way, she shops at thrift stores."
"But who buys a thousand-yuan healing balm like it's shampoo?"
The rumors spread like ink on silk.
By lunch, even the staff were whispering.
Yining didn't know who started it, but she could feel it — the shift in how people looked at her. Politeness from some. Caution from others. Envy from more.
The warmth that had slowly begun growing around her… was receding again.
---
Bai Zhiqi knew how to make rot look like roses.
She didn't have to scream accusations. She didn't need to prove anything. All she had to do… was stir the pot and let it cook.
She posted a harmless photo of her and Feizhou from two years ago — arm-in-arm after a commercial shoot. Captioned with:
> "So much has changed since then. But some things are meant to stay 💔#Memories #OldDays"
The timing wasn't random.
Feizhou and Yining had just been seen leaving practice late — together.
Within hours, the trainee forums exploded.
"Feizhou's still in love with Zhiqi?"
"Yining again? Climbing with rumors?"
"Didn't Zhiqi help Feizhou get into Nova in the first place?"
Zhiqi smiled at her phone.
A single tear welled in her eye — not from pain. From victory.
---
Yining cornered Feizhou near the back stairwell.
"You didn't say you and Zhiqi were—"
"We weren't," he snapped. "She's good at twisting things."
"She said she helped you get into Nova."
"I was scouted independently. Zhiqi… just happened to be around back then."
Yining narrowed her eyes. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"
He looked away.
"Because I didn't want you to lump me in with her."
The silence between them was sharp.
He turned back to her, eyes tired.
"I chose you, Yining. For this duet. For everything after. Doesn't that count for something?"
Her heartbeat stuttered.
She didn't answer — just walked away before he could see the confusion in her eyes.
---
Later that day, Ace Luo gathered all trainees in the main studio.
"The next phase of the show begins now," he said coldly. "It will not be easy."
The screen lit up with the show's new competition arc:
> Stage of Origins — a pre-debut international challenge featuring three global branches: Korea, China, and the U.S.
Top trainees from each region would face off on one global stage. The top five winners would be scouted for international contracts.
The stakes weren't just debut — they were legacy.
"You'll be judged by global mentors," Ace said. "Even one from the West."
Liam Hayes stepped into the room at that moment, sunglasses pushed up, and smiled.
"Guess who's staying to help."
Gasps and cheers rippled through the room — except from Yining. Her stomach clenched.
If the world really was watching now… her secrets wouldn't stay buried for long.
---
That night, a note appeared under her dorm door. It wasn't signed.
> He's closer than you think. Even closer than Feizhou.
Don't trust the rooftop meetings.
They know who you are.
Attached was a small pressed flower — a winter plum blossom.
Only one person used to send her those.
Her eldest brother.
She gripped the paper so tightly it tore in half.
She had been warned. But she didn't know who had sent it — or who they were.
---
Later that week, the practice room was chaos. The group performances for Stage of Origins were forming — and half the trainees were faking fatigue or failing choreography.
Ace Luo slammed a chair down.
"This isn't charity!" he shouted. "I don't care how famous your families are, or who sponsors you. If you can't keep up — quit!"
Everyone went silent.
Even Bai Zhiqi looked down for once.
Ace looked at Yining for a split second, then turned away.
Yining held her breath. Was he talking about her?
Or… was he protecting her in his own sharp-tongued way?
---
Later, during rehearsal for the duet, Yining sat slumped against the mirrored wall, breathing hard.
Feizhou tossed her a towel and water bottle.
"No more secrets," he said simply.
"I didn't want to drag you into this," she whispered.
"You already did."
She blinked.
Feizhou sat beside her.
"I don't care what your name is. Or where you're from. You're here. And you're fighting harder than anyone I've ever seen."
She looked at him, really looked.
"…You're not scared I'll leave once I succeed?"
"No."
He smirked.
"Because I plan to be there with you."
Her heart skipped.
He didn't touch her. Didn't try to kiss her. Just sat close enough for her to feel the truth.
She didn't answer.
But this time, she didn't walk away.