The morning sun filtered through the paper screens, turning the air gold.
Breakfast had ended, Madam Qin set down her teacup with a delicate clink. "Hengyu," she said with her usual practiced warmth, "it's been so long since you've visited. Why don't you take a walk in the garden? The magnolias are blooming beautifully this year."
Her eyes slid toward Loulou. "Loulou, dear, you should show him around. The fresh air will do you good."
"Of course, Mother." Loulou smiled faintly. "It's always good to revisit old scenery."
"I'll come too!" Rourou chimed in, too quickly.
She turned toward Li Hengyu with a brightness that was almost blinding. "It's been ages since we walked the garden together."
Loulou's eyebrow lifted slightly. Together?
But she only nodded. "The more, the merrier."
The Qin garden stretched wide behind the estate; pavilions, winding bridges, and the faint sound of water rippling in the koi pond. The air smelled faintly of magnolia and dew.
Loulou led the way, her qipao swaying softly around her legs.
Behind her, the rhythm of two sets of footsteps matched falling into the easy synchronization of people who'd walked together often.
"The magnolias are your favorite, aren't they?" Rourou asked, smiling at him over her shoulder.
"You remember," he said quietly.
That tone. That look. It was too intimate for siblings-by-engagement.
Loulou turned slightly, watching them through her lashes. "I didn't know you two spoke so often," she said lightly.
Rourou blinked, feigning surprise. "Oh...Brother Hengyu helped me study last summer while you were abroad. I suppose we got used to each other's company."
"Used to it," Loulou echoed, her smile never touching her eyes. "How convenient."
They reached the magnolia grove, white petals drifting like slow snow.
Rourou brushed a petal from Li Hengyu's sleeve, her hand lingered a second too long.
"You still don't like the scent?" she teased.
"It gives me headaches," he said. "But it suits you."
Loulou's fingers tightened around the silk of her sleeve. I remember this scene, she thought. But not this intimacy.
In the original script, Rourou had barely spoken. She was background noise, a foil for the fake daughter's doomed romance.
Now, she was center stage, bathed in sunlight, smiling at the man who was supposed to be Loulou's.
Improvised lines, Loulou realized. They're ad-libbing my tragedy.
When they turned back toward the house, Rourou slipped slightly on the stone path.
Li Hengyu's hand shot out, steadying her...
He didn't let go immediately.
Loulou saw it. The small tremor in Rourou's lashes. The quick smile.
And the way Li Hengyu's thumb brushed over her wrist before he pulled away.
"Careful," he said softly.
"Thank you," Rourou whispered.
Loulou's lips curved, though her eyes were ice.
"How touching," she said. "If I didn't know better, I'd say this garden encourages romance."
Rourou laughed too sweetly. "Sister, you joke."
"Of course," Loulou replied. "Just practicing my lines."
She stepped ahead, leaving them both behind, the scent of magnolia swirling in her wake.
When they returned to the veranda, Madam Qin was waiting with tea.
"You've all returned early," she said.
"The air was heavy," Loulou replied smoothly, lowering herself to sit. "Or perhaps the conversation was."
Her smile was perfectly polite, the kind that hid knives.
But when she caught Rourou's faintly flushed face reflected in the teapot's surface, she knew one thing for certain—
The story was not exactly how she knew it.
That evening, the Qin residence was wrapped in a velvet hush.
Dinner had passed in perfect harmony the kind that came from years of rehearsed smiles and well-timed silences.
Qin Loulou excused herself early, citing a faint headache. In truth, she simply couldn't stomach another performance.
Her earrings clicked softly as she unpinned them, the faint scent of magnolia still clinging to her from the garden. The night air outside the window was deep blue, the cicadas quiet, as if waiting for the next scene to begin.
A knock broke the stillness.
"Miss Qin," came Xiaotao's hesitant whisper, "Young Master Li wishes to speak with you."
Loulou's hands stilled mid-motion.
Of course he does.
"Send him in," she said, voice calm, the tone of someone already expecting an encore.
Li Hengyu entered with that same polished poise; crisp shirt, faint trace of garden air, and a softness that seemed almost rehearsed.
The sight might've once fluttered her heart. Now, it only reminded her of the cameras and lights of another life , Jiang Han and his betrayal.
"Loulou," he began gently, "I wanted to see how you were feeling. You seemed quiet today."
"I've been thinking," she said, voice light, almost lazy.
He smiled faintly. "About what?"
She turned slightly toward the mirror, her reflection catching the warm lamplight. "About roles."
"Roles?"
"Yes," she said, setting down her brush. "Who's meant to play what part and who's been cast where they don't belong."
His brow furrowed. "You sound strange tonight."
"Do I?" She met his gaze in the mirror. "Maybe I'm finally seeing the script for what it is."
Before he could respond, she turned fully to face him. Her expression was calm, but her eyes held an unsettling clarity.
"I think we should end our engagement, Hengyu."
The words fell between them like a stone dropped into still water, it was impossible to ignore.
He froze. "End it? Why would you say that?"
"Because it's the logical thing to do," she said. "You don't owe a fake daughter your loyalty."
Something flickered across his face. "You're not fake to me, Loulou."
Her lips curved, humorless. "Then you knew, didn't you?"
He hesitated. Silence stretched, taut and fragile.
"That's what I thought," she murmured. "You love her. You always did. You just needed a reason to stop pretending."
Li Hengyu stepped closer, his voice dropping low. "No. You're wrong. I love you, Loulou."
Her laugh was soft, almost kind. "Then love must be blind."
He flinched slightly, the mask cracking. "I don't understand what's happened to you. You've changed."
"Yes," she said, moving past him toward the vanity, the silk of her qipao whispering with each step. "I decided to stop dying beautifully."
He looked at her, as if seeing her for the first time. "Loulou..."
She turned, eyes like glass. "I appreciate your concern, Hengyu. Truly. But next time, save it for someone who needs it."
A pause.
"Good night, Young Master Li," she added softly. "And give my regards to my sister."
The words landed like a blade dipped in honey.
Li Hengyu's expression hardened for a heartbeat before smoothing over again.
When he left, closing the door quietly behind him, the room exhaled.
Qin Loulou stood alone before the mirror, her reflection watching her like an audience member.
The next morning dawned sharp and bright, the kind of deceptive sunlight that made even tension gleam like silk.
The Qin dining room smelled faintly of jasmine tea and polished wood. Madam Qin sat at the head of the table, her smile poised. Beside her, Father Qin turned the pages of the morning paper.
When Li Hengyu arrived, he bowed with perfect decorum, his every gesture measured.
"Uncle, Auntie," he said, voice smooth, "I wanted to speak with you about something important."
Loulou, seated quietly to the side, felt the shift in the air before he spoke again.
"Since I'll be moving to Beijing soon to oversee Hengxin Bank's new branch," he began, "I'd like to hold the wedding before I leave. Loulou and I have been engaged long enough. It's time."
The teapot lid clicked as Madam Qin set it down too quickly. Her eyes darted toward Loulou, then back at Hengyu, gleaming with approval.
"Ah, such a responsible young man," she said warmly. "You've thought this through."
Loulou looked up slowly, her voice soft but firm. "That won't be necessary."
The room froze.
Father Qin's paper lowered. "What did you say?"
"I said," she repeated, gaze steady, "there's no need for a wedding. I intend to end the engagement."
A breath of disbelief rippled through the air. Even the servants went still.
Madam Qin's smile faltered. "Loulou, don't be childish. Do you understand what you're saying?"
"I do," she replied. "Completely."
"You're being selfish," her father said sharply. "Hengyu is offering you security, a name, a future. What more could you possibly want?"
"I want none of it," Loulou said simply.
The door slid open. Qin Rourou stepped inside... perfect timing, as always, in soft pink silk and a tremble in her voice.
"Sister, please don't say that. Brother Hengyu loves you."
Loulou looked at her, then at the man who had stayed silent throughout, his eyes calm, his jaw tight.
"Then have Rourou marry Hengyu," she said coolly. "I have no interest in getting married."
Rourou paled. "But...Sister, you love him, and he loves you…"
"This isn't your decision," Shiyu cut in, his tone cold. "Someone like you should be grateful Hengyu still wants you, given the scandal last year."
Yichen chuckled lowly beside him. "Honestly, Loulou, you should take the offer before he changes his mind."
Loulou turned her gaze on them, calm as water. "I should be grateful to him?" She scoffed softly. "I will do anything but marry him."
"Loulou!" Madam Qin snapped. "You're disgracing this family!"
"No," she said quietly, rising to her feet. "I'm freeing it."
The silence that followed was so deep it rang in her ears.
Rourou's eyes filled with tears. "Sister…"
But Loulou barely heard her. Her mind was already racing, her heartbeat fast, her thoughts sharper than glass.
Think. Think. There must be a way out of this performance. Out of him.
Her gaze fell on the glossy family portrait hanging by the wall; Father with his film reels, Mother with her pearls, the brothers in suits, Rourou with that angelic smile. The Qin family empire built not just on money, but on image.
Of course, she thought suddenly. Acting.
In her old world, Lou Yue had been China's national darling. Here, that same dream belonged to Qin Rourou: a path she would one day take after Loulou's tragic "death."
Then I'll take it first.
Loulou's lips curved faintly.
"If I can't marry for love," she said, breaking the silence, "then I'll live for something else. I want to pursue acting."
Madam Qin's teacup nearly fell. "Acting? Are you out of your mind? What will people think?"
"People always think," Loulou murmured. "Might as well give them something worth watching."
"You're not serious..." Yichen began.
"I am," she said. "You all wanted a show? I'll give you one."
Her father's face darkened. "You won't get our support."
"I never expected it."
Her calmness unsettled them more than rebellion ever could.
Across the table, Li Hengyu finally spoke... voice even, eyes unreadable. "Loulou, you're making this harder than it has to be."
She looked at him and smiled back.
"Good," she said. "Because nothing was ever easy."