The gala had ended in a glittering haze of hollow compliments and forced smiles. The night air was crisp, scented with faint lavender from the garden hedges and the burn of her frustration. Bai Lanyue's heels clicked against the pavement like punctuation marks to her rage, her silver gown dragging behind her like a wounded pride.
She spotted Ji Lanxue by the valet line, where her black luxury coupe waited with its headlights casting long shadows across the tiled ground. Lanxue leaned casually against the car, phone in hand, her champagne glass now replaced with a bottle of mineral water. Her posture was too relaxed. Too smug. Like someone who knew exactly how tonight would end.
"Ji Lanxue!" Bai Lanyue's voice sliced through the air like broken glass.
Lanxue didn't flinch. She raised her eyes lazily from her phone and smiled, the kind of smile that didn't quite reach the eyes. "Ah, Bai Lanyue. I was wondering how long it'd take."
Bai Lanyue stalked toward her, fists clenched. "You knew."
Lanxue shrugged, pushing herself upright from the car. "Knew what?"
"Don't play dumb," Lanyue snapped. "The veiled musician. You knew she would be there. You invited her. You—"
"I did," Lanxue cut in, her tone annoyingly light. "I'm the host. I get to choose my performers. And she was spectacular, wasn't she?"
Lanyue's breath hitched. "You humiliated me."
Lanxue blinked, mock surprise filling her expression. "I did no such thing. You were on that stage all by yourself. If applause didn't come with it, maybe it wasn't about me."
"Don't twist this."
Lanxue took a step forward, the heels of her black stilettos tapping softly. "I'm not. But let's not pretend, Bai Lanyue. You've dominated the stage for years. You thought no one would ever challenge that. Then someone did—and now the world has a new favorite. That's not humiliation. That's competition."
"Who is she?" Lanyue demanded, stepping closer, her voice low and trembling. "Tell me. Who is she really?"
Lanxue tilted her head, amusement flickering in her eyes. "And what would you do if you knew?"
Lanyue's silence was all the answer she needed.
Lanxue chuckled, shaking her head. "You'd go after her. Try to crush her before she blossoms completely. Just like you've always done when anyone threatened your perfect image."
"You don't know me," Lanyue bit out.
"Oh, I know enough," Lanxue said, voice cool now. "I've watched you for years. I admired you once. I thought you were untouchable. But tonight…" She stepped back toward her car door, fingers brushing the handle. "You weren't just touched. You were overshadowed. And the worst part is, the veiled musician didn't even need to stay to see it."
Lanyue's jaw clenched. Her hands itched to grab, to rip that smug calm off Lanxue's face. "You think this is over?"
"No." Lanxue opened the car door, pausing only briefly. "I think this is just the beginning."
Before Lanyue could reply, the rear passenger door opened, and a figure stepped out.
Bai Lanyue's heart lurched.
The veiled musician.
Same delicate posture. Same midnight-blue cloak draped over her frame. Face hidden beneath a light silken veil, only her eyes visible—calm, unreadable.
She hadn't even sensed her presence.
Lanyue's breath turned shallow. "You…"
The musician didn't speak. Didn't move.
Lanyue advanced. "Take off the veil."
Still silence.
"I said take it off!" She was shouting now, the chill biting her skin forgotten.
But as she reached forward, a hand caught hers firmly.
Xiao Lin. The assistant, always quiet, now standing protectively between the two women.
"You don't get to demand that," Xiao Lin said coldly. "Not when you didn't earn it."
Lanyue's hand trembled. "She's hiding behind that thing like a coward."
"No," Xiao Lin said, eyes hard. "She's waiting. Watching. And when the time comes… you'll recognize her without needing to see her face."
Lanyue stared, breath unsteady. The veiled musician turned slightly, as if dismissing her presence entirely, and stepped back into the car.
"Wait—!"
But Xiao Lin stepped between them again, gently shaking her head.
The car door shut.
Lanyue stood frozen, watching as the car eased out of the valet line and disappeared into the night, tail lights glowing like twin embers of something far from finished.
And Ji Lanxue?
She rolled down her window as they passed and offered Lanyue one last parting smile.
"Enjoy the silence, Bai Lanyue. It's all yours now."
Then she was gone.
And Lanyue was left with the weight of a silence that no song of hers could fill.