Rourou stared at Loulou, eyes wide with something unreadable.
Was it admiration? Envy? Fear? Loulou couldn't quite tell.
Rourou emotions rippled across her face like shifting light on water.
"You really mean it," she whispered. "You'd walk away from all of this?"
Loulou's gaze was steady, her tone quiet but unyielding.
"Yes," she said. "I already have."
The air between them grew heavy. Only the ticking clock dared to move.
Rourou's fingers twisted the hem of her silk blouse. "Jiejie…" she began, voice trembling just enough to sound sincere. "If you really want to act… maybe I'll go with you. It'll be fun, won't it? Together?"
Loulou's lips curved faintly. The girl before her looked delicate, earnest... the very image of sisterly devotion.
But Loulou saw what others didn't: the sharp glint beneath the soft eyes, the calculation disguised as care.
Li Mei used to look at me that way too, she thought.
"You don't have to follow me, Rourou," she said softly. "This isn't a path that needs two leads."
Rourou's lashes fluttered. Then she smiled. "But what if I want to follow you? After all," she said, stepping closer, "you're my sister."
The silence that followed was a taut string.
Loulou met her gaze, calm on the outside, her thoughts swirling beneath the surface.
That's what I want you to want. Follow me into the spotlight. Let's see who survives the stage lights.
Then she turned to her parents, voice light but carrying.
"Very well then," she said. "If Rourou wants this too, you won't object… will you?"
The question was a knife wrapped in silk.
Madam Qin blinked, caught off guard, before forcing a smile.
"Well, of course not," she said quickly, glancing toward Rourou. "It might be good experience for her. She's always had such… charm."
Father Qin cleared his throat, expression measured.
"If both of you wish to try, then go ahead. But Loulou, you'll have to manage on your own. Rourou's coach from the academy can assist her, but you..."
"I understand," Loulou said before he could finish. Her tone was polite and too serene.
Madam Qin nodded, relieved. "Good. Rourou will represent the family name. Just make sure you don't bring unnecessary attention, Loulou. You've always been… quieter."
Rourou reached out, taking Loulou's hand with an angelic smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Don't worry, Jiejie," she said sweetly. "I'll help you too."
Loulou's answering smile was a mirror.
"Of course," she murmured. "Together."
"One more condition, I will allow you to be an actress only if you can bring more publicity for Qin Empire within a month; if not, you will marry Li Hengyu," her father added, voice firm.
Loulou turned toward the window...
They've already chosen their star. Let them. The audience always loves a surprise ending.
Days passed, and the Qins presented Rourou to the public far more than they did for Loulou.
Rourou shone at every event, her mother's hand resting proudly on her shoulder. Invitations arrived daily; photoshoots, private lessons, industry dinners. The company's investors called her "the future of the Qin legacy."
Loulou remained behind the velvet rope, silent but not unnoticed by those who truly watched. A few whispered that her presence alone could silence a room.
But whispers don't build careers. Connections do.
When Rourou's first commercial was announced, which was filmed under Qin Empire's name, Loulou didn't argue. She only smiled, watching her sister bask in attention. This has been happening for almost a month. They are not supporting me on purpose.
That night, in her room, moonlight spilled over stacks of old film magazines and company reports. Xiaotao entered quietly, balancing a tray of tea and a neat folder.
"Did you bring the list of powerful companies?" Loulou asked without looking up.
"Yes, Miss Qin," Xiaotao said, placing it before her. "These are the major investors working with the film bureau and new studios."
Loulou sipped her tea, eyes scanning through the papers. Her gaze paused at one.
Li Hengyu.
She sighed. The name was heavy with expectation.
If I go to him, he'll demand something in return... probably marriage. And he's always preferred Rourou anyway.
Her lips pressed into a thin line. She turned the page.
Then her gaze stopped again, it was a familiar name.
Shen Yanzhou.
Former military officer. Now head of an electronics company expanding into media. A man who spoke little but was rumored to move entire projects behind closed doors.
In the original script, Shen Yanzhou was the tragic second lead. A man who loved Qin Rourou but lost her to Li Hengyu's golden façade.
But this wasn't fiction anymore.
"Shen Yanzhou," Loulou murmured aloud, fingers brushing the paper as though it might burn.
Xiaotao tilted her head. "Do you know him, Miss Qin?"
Loulou smiled faintly. "Perhaps. But perhaps he'll recognize talent where the Qins did not."
Her reflection in the teacup stared back...
If the Qins won't back me, then I'll find someone who will.
The evening was quiet in the Qin estate, the city lights outside dimmed by drawn curtains. In the study, Li Hengyu leaned against the desk, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers. His eyes, flicked toward Rourou with a mixture of irritation and curiosity.
"I don't want to marry Loulou," he said bluntly, his voice low, almost a growl. "You know that. So why are we even..."
Rourou stepped closer, her silk robe whispering against the polished floor. She placed a hand lightly on his chest, stopping him mid-motion. Her eyes were calm, calculating, yet there was a softness in her voice.
"You must marry Loulou," she said, almost casually, "that's the role set for you. It's not like you will actually marry her. Just act like you will. Don't worry...she'll disappear soon enough."
He looked at her, incredulous, lips twitching . "Then… then we can be together?" His question was tentative, almost vulnerable.
Rourou hummed softly, the smallest curve of a smile brushing her lips. "Hmm," she murmured, as though the answer were obvious and yet tantalizingly distant.
He inhaled sharply, trying to steady himself, the cigarette forgotten between his fingers. "And Loulou… she won't suspect?"
Rourou's gaze sharpened. "She'll be too quiet, too polite, to fight back. And by the time she realizes, it will be too late. We only need the illusion, Hengyu. Nothing more."
He inhaled sharply, the cigarette forgotten. "But what if she suspects? About us? Her wanting to annul the engagement… it's a move. She's not as passive as you think."
Rourou's lips curved into a faint, almost imperceptible smile. "She suspects nothing, Hengyu. Or at least, nothing she can act on. Loulou may see, but she won't interfere. Not yet. The timing is ours to control. Plus she obviously still likes you."
He ran a hand through his hair, frustration and desire warring in his expression. "And if she does? If she refuses to play her part?"
Rourou stepped closer, her hand brushing against his arm. "Then we adjust the stage. We always have options. Loulou is quiet, obedient… she will not be a problem unless we allow her to be."
His eyes darkened, and the tension in his shoulders eased just slightly. "And us?" he asked, almost whispering, "when will it truly be us?"
Rourou's smile deepened. "When the world believes the story, Hengyu. Until then, we act. But don't worry… the reward will be worth it."
The cigarette had long gone out, but its bitter smoke still lingered in the air.
Rourou watched Li Hengyu's retreating figure disappear through the doorway, her expression unreadable. When the last echo of his footsteps faded, she turned toward the window, drawing the curtains open.
The city lights shimmered like broken stars on the lake below.
"Fool," she whispered, though whether she meant him or herself, even she couldn't tell.
She walked back to the desk, her fingers trailing along its lacquered edge, stopping at the ashtray where the cigarette lay dying. The faint red ember pulsed once ... then went dark.
Rourou smiled.
She sat down, penning a neat note onto a small slip of paper, her calligraphy elegant and deliberate.
"Confirmed: Li Hengyu, heir of the Li family, is engaged to Miss Qin Loulou. Engagement to be formalized soon under both family names."
A single headline... enough to set every society column and business journal buzzing.
The perfect illusion.
No one needed to know that the engagement was hollow, that Hengyu's real affections belonged elsewhere. All that mattered was the appearance and appearances were Rourou's favorite weapon.
She folded the paper neatly, tucking it into an envelope embossed with the Qin seal.
"Miss?" came a soft voice at the door. It was her maid, Yunli, peeking in. "Did you call for me?"
"Yes," Rourou said, her tone honeyed. "Take this to Mr. Zhao at Entertainment Weekly. Tell him Mother approved the announcement, but to keep it discreet until the weekend. We wouldn't want to… overwhelm poor Loulou, would we?"
Yunli blinked in confusion, but nodded. "Of course, Miss."
When the door shut again, Rourou leaned back in her chair, smiling faintly to herself.
"Let's see you walk away now, Jiejie," she murmured.
Her reflection in the dark window gazed back.
Once the engagement became public, Loulou's freedom would vanish. The public eye was a cage disguised as gold. No investor, no director, no studio would dare approach the "future Mrs. Li."
Rourou didn't need to destroy her sister outright ... just clip her wings.
The rest, as always, would happen naturally.
Rourou's lips curved.
"Lights, camera," she whispered. "Let the performance begin."