The late autumn breeze danced along the stone pathway outside the Jade River Art Hall, where an exhibition for musical culture was being held. It was a quiet, elegant place—not nearly as chaotic as the gala had been—but tonight, the tension that stirred inside was anything but peaceful.
Ji Lanxue stepped out of her family's black car, adjusting her ivory coat over her sky-blue dress. Her expression was relaxed, lips painted the soft pink of someone who smiled easily. And yet, her eyes—sharp, observant—betrayed a layer of awareness. Since the gala and the shock of discovering the veiled musician's identity, she'd grown more careful with her emotions, more calculating with her curiosity.
She hadn't expected to see her.
But just as she stepped through the glass doors of the building, she halted.
At the far end of the hall, just beside the grand piano display, stood *Bai Lanyue*—poised as ever, dressed in a sleek black ensemble that screamed elegance and restraint. Her face was composed, but her eyes were stormy, lips drawn tight in deep thought.
Ji Lanxue's heels clicked softly as she approached.
"You seem far too tense for someone surrounded by music," she remarked coolly.
Bai Lanyue turned, surprised for a moment, before her face reset into a polite, practiced smile. "Ji Lanxue. I didn't expect to see you here."
"I could say the same," Lanxue said, folding her arms as her gaze swept over her. "Are you here to enjoy the exhibition… or looking for someone again?"
Lanyue's smile faded ever so slightly.
"So you've heard," she said softly.
"Oh, everyone has. Especially since your fans took to Weibo like wolves," Ji Lanxue replied lightly, though her tone had a definite edge. "Trying to unmask someone in public? Not very graceful of you, Miss Bai."
The air tensed.
Bai Lanyue's mask cracked for a moment, revealing something sharp beneath. "And what if the mask hides something dangerous? Something that doesn't deserve the praise it's getting?"
Ji Lanxue arched a brow. "You mean someone more talented than you?"
That struck.
Lanyue's expression turned icy. "She stole the attention that night. It was supposed to be my stage."
"And yet you lost it without anyone saying a word," Lanxue shot back, stepping closer. "That's not stealing, Miss Bai. That's overshadowing."
Lanyue's jaw clenched. "You think I'm the villain in this?"
"I think," Lanxue said, voice dropping low, "you're used to standing under the spotlight, and you don't know how to act when someone else earns it without begging for it."
For a moment, Lanyue said nothing.
Then—quiet, but biting—she asked, "Is she yours?"
Lanxue blinked. "Excuse me?"
"The veiled musician," Lanyue said. "She must be under your family's protection, or you wouldn't be so quick to defend her."
A slow smile curved Lanxue's lips, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Whether or not she's under my family's roof is none of your business. But I will say this…" She leaned in slightly. "You already lost when she played without ever needing to speak."
Bai Lanyue's hand curled tightly at her side, but she quickly composed herself again.
"We'll see who truly lasts longer," she said coldly. "Fame built on mystery never lasts."
As she turned to leave, Ji Lanxue's voice followed her, light and amused.
"Funny. People said the same thing about you, once."
Bai Lanyue didn't respond, her heels tapping sharply against the marble as she walked away, pride barely holding her upright.
Ji Lanxue exhaled, then glanced toward the piano nearby. A soft chord lingered in her mind—*the same one from the garden, from the gala, from the veil.*
She didn't just admire the veiled musician anymore.
She was protecting her.
And whether Bai Lanyue liked it or not, the stage wasn't hers anymore.