On the day of the first round, the academy's main auditorium was packed. Parents, alumni, press, and talent scouts filled the velvet seats. The event was live-streamed nationwide.
Each student would perform before the judges. Only ten would advance.
Bai Meilin's turn came first.
She stepped onto the stage in a flowing white gown, her eyes bright and her voice filled with practiced emotion. She sang a delicate, award-winning ballad that had topped the charts the year before.
The audience clapped politely.
Chen Yuxuan sat in the front row, arms folded, eyes unreadable.
"Next, we welcome Bai Zhi of the Music and Cultural Fusion Division."
A hush fell over the hall.
Bai Zhi walked onto the stage in a simple black cheongsam with silver embroidery. No dancers. No backup singers. Just her guzheng, a standing mic, and a pair of sneakers beneath her traditional attire.
She didn't bow. She just sat and began to play.
The music started softly, an ethereal hum. Then came the rhythm, then the rap, then the drop.
Her voice hit hard, weaving ancient poetry with modern defiance:
"They said I was fake, but I rewrote fate.
Gave her the crown,
And she fed me hate."
"Reborn from lies,
I sharpen my fire.
Ashes and embers,
But still I rise higher."
The audience sat stunned. The judges leaned in.
And Li Jiannan, watching from the back row, narrowed his eyes with something dangerously close to admiration.
When the final string was plucked, silence held the room for a beat.
Then...
Thunderous applause.
Students leaped to their feet. Cameras flashed. Social media exploded.
Bai Meilin, backstage, gripped the folds of her dress until her knuckles turned white.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
Later that evening, in the elite lounge reserved for finalists, the results were announced.
From dozens of entries, Bai Zhi ranked first.
Bai Meilin placed third.
The tension between them was subtle, but electric.
"Congratulations," Meilin said through clenched teeth.
"You too," Bai Zhi replied flatly, sipping her tea. "Third's impressive. It must sting less than a fourth."
Meilin's polite smile twitched.
Before she could answer, a deep voice interrupted them.
"Bai Zhi."
They both turned to see Li Jiannan approaching, dressed in a charcoal-grey suit, tall and authoritative. Everyone in the room paused to stare. He wasn't a student. He wasn't a judge.
He was a guest sponsor. A legend.
"Mr. Li," Bai Zhi greeted calmly.
"You've surprised me again," he said, his voice low. I want to sponsor your second round. Consider it a personal investment."
Meilin's heart dropped. Why her? Why not me?
Bai Zhi didn't hesitate. "I accept."
Li Jiannan offered her his card. "I'll send the details tomorrow. Prepare well."
As he walked away, the other students watched with a mix of admiration and envy.
And Bai Meilin?
She stood there, frozen, her vision blurring.
For the first time, she was the one in Bai Zhi's shadow, and she didn't like that one bit.
The next morning, Bai Zhi arrived early at the Jianning Academy practice wing. The building, usually brimming with noise and footsteps, felt quiet and tense. She entered Studio 7, where she'd been assigned for her private rehearsals as a finalist.
On the piano was a bouquet of white calla lilies with a silver note card.
She didn't touch it. Not yet.
First, she scanned the room.
Everything seemed untouched. Still, she walked to the sound console, inspecting the wires and input jacks. Nothing looked out of place. No strange interference or tampered setups.
Only after that did she approach the flowers.
The note read:
"Talent always invites jealousy. Watch your back."
A Friend
There was no name. No logo. Nothing identifiable.
Bai Zhi narrowed her eyes.
In her past life, she'd been too trusting. She'd assumed all smiles were honest and helping hands were sincere.
But now?
Now, she trusted no one.
Not even those offering flowers.
Back in the Bai family mansion, Bai Meilin was tearing apart her bedroom.
"Where is it?" she hissed, tossing drawers, scattering books and letters. "Where's the copy?"
Her laptop sat open on the desk, the playback of Bai Zhi's showcase performance looping again and again. Her fingers trembled as she paused it mid-verse.
That melody.
That verse.
She remembered it. Vaguely. It had been in the folder Bai Zhi used to keep lyrics and poems in, when they had just met in her first life. Bai Meilin had once taken one and passed it off as hers.
She had thought that folder was gone now. That those words had disappeared with time.
But no. Bai Zhi had kept everything and this time, performed it herself.
Chen Yuxuan's reaction during the performance played in her mind. The way his eyes lit up when Bai Zhi took the stage. The way he didn't even clap after Meilin's own performance.
She slammed the lid of her laptop shut.
That girl needed to be stopped and fast.
Meanwhile, in a quiet rooftop garden in downtown Jianning, Bai Zhi met with someone she hadn't seen in years, or at least, someone she hadn't spoken to in this timeline yet.
Zhou Yue.
Zhou Yue was a junior science major, quiet and awkward in social settings, but brilliant. In her past life, he had been another one of the people she helped with his thesis, though he later turned against her for a scholarship opportunity Meilin had dangled in front of him.
Now, he was still unknown. Still uncorrupted.
"I wasn't sure you'd respond," Bai Zhi said as he joined her at the table.
Zhou Yue adjusted his glasses. "You said you had a project idea."
"I do," she said, sliding over a printed concept. "A biomechanical sound processor that reads vibrations through my fingertips."
He skimmed the notes, his eyes widening. "This… this could win awards."
"That's the plan," she said. But I need your help with the hardware components. I'll handle the coding."
He stared at her. "Why are you trusting me with this?"
"I'm not," she said bluntly. "This is a test. If you leak this or claim credit, you'll regret it. But if you're honest, we both win."
He nodded slowly. "I'm in."
Bai Zhi leaned back. This was step one. In this life, she wouldn't let her ideas be stolen. She'd forge partnerships early, on her own terms.